#or aos if you want

[metalandmagi]

Romance Anime Starter List

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick and tired of seeing “Top ___ Best Anime of All Time” lists that are nothing but shounen. So, with "My Happy Marriage" getting a little attention from the anime community, I wanted to put together a list of some romance anime that I consider good “starters” for the genre. Because if I were just now becoming an anime fan, I’d think all there was to offer was shounen action series.

And by “starters” I mean basic stuff that’s not too…out there, and actually involves the characters getting together instead of just harems or using romance as a side plot (sorry Ouran High School Host Club and My Next Life as a Villainess). 

So if you’re new to anime and want stuff that’s not just guys beating the shit out of each other (which is also fun, don’t get me wrong), here are some basics.

Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale- When the pessimistic Tamahiko Shima loses all function in his right arm, his family sends him away to live in the mountains with the cheerful, hard working Yuzuki Tachibana…who was purchased by the Shima family to pay off her family’s debts and basically act as a caretaker/future bride for Tamahiko so they’d never have to deal with him again. It’s a more cheerful version of My Happy Marriage (without the supernatural stuff), except in this one, the guy is the one who has massive self-esteem issues and an abusive family. There are still very serious themes, but ultimately it’s not meant to make you cry every episode. I swear it’s so good, but nobody watched it!

Horimiya- A slice of life in which pretty and popular high school queen bee Hori, finds out her quiet, unassuming classmate Miyamura is hiding piercings and tattoos that could get him expelled. The two gradually find out more about each other and get together in the most realistic way I’ve seen depicted in an anime. It’s also fucking hysterical and genuinely emotional.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie- Another slice of life that focuses on two adults who meet in an MMO game without realizing they also know each other in real life. I don’t want to say much more than that. It’s adorable, and the main character is so relatable it hurts.

Love with Yamada-kun at Level 999- Speaking of MMOs, this is a newer series about Akane Kinoshita, a college first year who’s reeling from a bad break up. In an attempt to get back at her ex, she winds up meeting Akito Yamada, a popular gamer who happens to be in her guild in the MMO they both play at an IRL meetup. The two go from acquaintances to something more as they keep running into each other. Even more relatable main characters and just wholesome relationships all around.

Snow White With The Red Hair- A fantasy in which an apothecary named Shirayuki (meaning, you guessed it, “snow white”) runs away from her home in order to escape becoming the concubine of her town’s prince. While fleeing, she is rescued by Zen, the prince of a neighboring country, and she ends up becoming an herbalist to repay him. It's super cute with some genuinely swoon worthy moments and a couple that just works so well together. I have a habit of comparing this to Akatsuki no Yona, even though the two aren’t really that alike. This is more romance driven while Akatsuki no Yona is more of a serious historical fantasy with romance elements (Yona manga is amazing, but the anime barely scratches the surface, so that’s why I didn’t include it).

Sasaki to Miyano- When the shy, easily flustered Miyano meets Sasaki, a cool “delinquent” upperclassmen, the two end up bonding over manga…specifically BL manga. That’s right, Miyano is a fudanshi, but due to his small stature and somewhat feminine appearance, he’s constantly trying to convince others that he’s not interested in having his own love story where he’d be reduced to a stereotypical doe-eyed uke. But as Sasaki and Miyano spend more time together, they realize that what they have is more than friendship, and they have to come to terms with their own perception of gay relationships. This is my favorite romance of all time. It’s a slow burn, but boy is it worth it. Their relationship is so natural and realistic, just like Horimiya. Just two people hanging out and bonding over things the way people do in real life!

Given: The story of some boys in a band with trauma. Enough said. It's great. Go watch it.

Bloom Into You- Yuu Koito is a high school girl who’s been waiting her whole life for her own perfect romance to start…but when she receives a confession, she realizes she doesn’t know how to respond when she’s just not into the guy. And then she gets another confession…this time from the cool student council president Touko Nanami, who basically jumpstarts her lesbian awakening. Very cute story about how we perceive the concept of love vs actually feeling it. Also has a canonically aro/ace side character, so that’s a win for me. Another show like this is Adachi to Shimamura (but I honestly don’t remember much about it. It just didn’t stick with me as much).

Ore Monogatari- Takeo Gouda is a tall, bulky high school first year with a sensitive heart of gold. He wants nothing more than to find his own true love, but most girls are intimidated by his enormous stature, and they end up falling for his conventionally attractive friend instead. That is, until he meets the tiny, adorable Rinko Yamato. He falls in love instantly, but he’s sure she’s interested in his best friend like everyone else, so he vows to help get them together, even though his heart is breaking. Peak himbo behavior. Pure of heart, dumb of ass.

Yuri on Ice- Yes it’s the gay figure skating anime everyone knows. And yes it’s a fucking romance, okay? I will die on this hill. The romance between Viktor and Yuri is just as important as the plot!

Kaguya-sama Love Is War- Two insanely smart high school students both have a crush on the other, but since they’re…you know…high schoolers, neither of them wants to admit it first. So they come up with increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess first. This will go down as one of the best of all time. It’s a hilarious yet poignant modern classic.

Fruits Basket- I’ve talked about it before and I’ll talk about it again. A romance “comedy” that slowly morphs into a drama about a girl named Tohru who finds herself living with the mysterious Sohma family after her mother dies. Little does she know, the Sohmas are the victims of a  (somewhat silly, but ultimately tragic) curse that she must fight to break. Even though I’m more into it for the family drama, the romance is still top tier and plays an important role in the story. This is my second favorite anime of all time, and it’s a classic for a reason. If anyone hasn’t watched it yet, GO WATCH IT! IT WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!

Blue Box- A sports romance about an aspiring badminton player named Taiki Inomata who has a massive crush on the girls basketball team's star player Chinatsu Kano. Through a twist of fate, the two end up living together and having to hide it from the rest of their classmates, all while Taiki tries to work up the courage to ask Chinatsu out. It's so sweet and wholesome, and it's a great blend of sports anime and romance that can appeal to anyone who is more hesitant to get into the romance genre. The animation is also so freaking gorgeous!!!!

365 Days To The Wedding- A workplace romance between the two most awkward people you could possibly imagine! The story takes place at a travel company that is about to open a new branch in Alaska, but because our two main characters are...like I said...very awkward, they come up with a plan to avoid being sent to work at the new branch...by telling their boss they're getting married. Because they wouldn't want to split up a married couple by making one move away, right? As ridiculous as the premise sounds, hilarious shenanigans ensue, but there's also a surprising amount of serious discussions about romance and marriage. The main characters also have major autism coding, so if you're looking for a neurodivergent romance, this is it. (There's also an episode that involves a princess wanting to give up the throne to pursue a life with her girlfriend!)

And now for some honorable mentions that didn't quite fit into the regular list:

Ride Your Wave- A movie about a surfer who falls in love with a firefighter……and I’m not going to say any more than that. Go into it blind. If you like stuff like Your Name, this is a good one to watch.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun- A comedy about a high school girl who finds out the upperclassman she has a crush on is actually a shoujo manga artist, and no matter how she tries to confess to him, he just never gets it.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague- A slow burn slice of life that focuses on a guy with ice powers who has a crush on his coworker. That’s it. That’s the show. When I say slow, I mean SLOW. It’s perfectly cute and fluffy, but my god does it take forever to get anywhere with these two.

Skip to Loafer- A high strung, small town girl decides to go to high school in Tokyo, where she meets a variety of classmates, including the laid back Sousuke Shima. The unlikely pair become friends, and soon enough, she starts to feel something more than friendship. The only reason I didn’t include it in the main list is because they don’t get together by the end of the first season, but it’s still really cute (also canonically trans character for the win!?)

So that’s my starter list. And no, I didn’t include Toradora, even though it’s a classic. I know it’s blasphemous, but I like it more as a comedy than a romance. It kinda lost me with the ending. But anyway, maybe someone will find something they like. Or maybe you'll just want to roast me and my picks 😅

[royaltea000]

I love Bai Long Ma he truly don’t gaf

[dustykneed]

good luck, babes! 💙💛

maybe i should write a fic. hmm

(edit: if you wanted to know my personal interpretation... watch the can in bones' hand. and the colors mean things loll. i think i'll make an explanation tomorrow just for fun)

[missescalientee]

The past JD ex's who got back together with him club. I feel like they'd have a lot to talk about

Freesia is @zivazivc

[leojfitz]

merry christmas @useryoumna 💜

[frobby]

Yukio doesn't realize rin was lonely because he was key contributor to said loneliness

[deadshadowcreature]

Predicting what will happen in the special

[bananafire11]

banana….banana i did a thing

he is so fucking stupid i love him /p

TOAAAST. TOAST WHEN I GETCHU TOAST. /VPOS

Oh my god. WHY ARENT YOU POSTING UR ART YOUR STYLE IS SOOOO YUMMY?????

[hoelko]

He’ll teach him virtue along the journey.

[wackywest]

made these,, up on my pinterest too,,

[kindaasrikal]

The results of students when they are taught by anyone in the fsm family is hilarious.

The Fsm, Wu’s, and Lloyd’s first students were all good kids who turned evil (Nineko(?)/Garmadon, Morro, and Arin)

But Garmadon’s first student/protege, Harumi, WAS EVIL AND THEN SWITCHED UP???

It’s so funny to me they never get what they want why are they all such bad teachers.

It’s like that whole ‘first child is the test child’ stuff. They each did their worst when trying to do their best to each of their first students.

And somehow all of them (minus Nineko, and for now Arin) went good again after having some sort of realisation or literally couldn’t give a damn anymore

Edit: and each of the second students did better than just great, Wu, Cole, and Sora. They all perfectly mirror the first students of their sensei perfectly.

[harpywitharobot]

AU where Chase didn't kill the dad of his dragon side and he actually has to deal with him in a kind sweet way.

Meet Ao Shun - Dragon King of the Northern Sea. His element is water and ice (He goes along great with Omi as you can suspect) and despite his job he's very sweet with his newfound family. He's trying to be optimistic, even if his son is short (for dragon standards).

Ao Shun used to lend a hand to those that asked for his help when carrying out vengeances (the rightful ones) but he's not that needed anymore in that department... Who was the last guy he blessed? Here's a clue: He's trapped in ice.

[dustykneed]

oh look at jim's nice lipstick! oh wait why is it smudged. oh waiiiit why are spock's lips so pink. ohhhh what could possibly have caused this i wonder...

bones' hoodie isn't even his LMAO he nicked it from one of his roommate's hookups who forgot their jacket. his roommate locked him out of his dorm (another hookup. really.) and bones has ten thousand goddamn assignments due the next few days so he's just camping out next to the biggest party for the weekend for the lighting and the free food. insanely stressed and dressed in as many layers as it takes for him not to get cold trying to sit still and get shit done on a mid-spring friday night. and i just think it would be so fucking funny if spirk (both with a HELL of a reputation™) sees this sleep-deprived palpably anxious dressed like a middle-aged college professor med student and is instantly like. man. i NEED more of that guy. like wouldnt that be so funny. anyways

yeah im obsessed with this au in particular what about it <3333 idc

[snoji]

i'm so desperate for some new mccoy content but i swear, when i see what they're currently doing in strange new worlds and their characters i'm really really glad they haven't brought him in yet, cause i know if they did, they'd ruin my man in a second (and absolutely in the worst way possible)

[swedenis-h]

I’m waiting for that final moment you’ll say the words I cant say.

[paxerle]

A screenshot from a convo we had, and while I do not dispute this claim of yours I will however do one thing. I HERBY CHALLENGE YOU TO PUT ARTHUR IN THE SILLIEST, MOST STUPID OUTFIT YOU CAN IMAGINE (and still have him look like the model he is) (only if you want tho! No pressure)

Hehehe (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و

When I saw your ask I started thinking what would be the most silliest outfit I could ever imagine… and well here we are. There is no sillier outfit than Mephistos.

Mephisto's having the time of his life annoying Angel on another level.

So have this outfit swap-

Don’t you think Arthur still looks good? He seems not amused 🤭💛