During quarantine, I tried out a variety of hobbies and watched a variety of shows to pass the time. Whether or not they were on my computer with Netflix Party or on my home TV, I watched Tiger King, Love is Blind, and even ventured into the anime genre. In the three years since quarantine, I have fallen in love with romance animes: pun intended. I am a sucker for anything romantic, and they have become my comfort shows that I put on in the background when I do homework and show to all of my friends. Here is my list (in no specific order) of romance animes I adore.
- kamisama kiss
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I know I said this was in no particular order, but Kamisama Kiss is my #1 romance anime. It has so many of the classic romance tropes, such as enemies to friends to lovers; not to mention the characters are so fun to follow. Kamisama Kiss follows Nanami, a recently homeless high school girl who becomes a land god after a run-in with one at the local park. She arrives at the Mikage shrine where she meets Tomoe, a fox yokai who later becomes her familiar and love interest. The anime chronicles their adventures together and incorporates some Japanese folklore along the way. You can watch the first season on Hulu and both seasons on Funimation.
- Maid Sama
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I’ve been told my love for this anime is a bit of a hot take… but I’ve probably rewatched it the most out of any other anime. Maid Sama follows high school girl Misaki Ayuzawa, who is the student council president of a formerly all-boys school named Seika High, despite hating most men. Misa also happens to work part-time in a maid cafe, where she is discovered by the school’s “three idiots” and love interest Usui Takami. Usui and her are such a power couple, and if you can get past the maid trope in the beginning it’s honestly a super cute anime. You can watch the first and only season on Hulu.
- ouran high school host club
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This one is SUCH a classic anime, and definitely the one I would start with if you are looking to get into the romance anime genre. Ouran High School Host Club follows Haruhi, a young “commoner” girl on a scholarship to one of the fanciest (and richest) academies in her area. When looking for a place to study, she encounters the Host Club of the school, a group of guys with too much time on their hands who spend the after-class hours entertaining the girls of the school. Haruhi, who is mistaken for a man, ends up breaking a vase worth eight million yen and is made to join the host club to pay off her debt. She continues to dress as a man, and there are a few love interests for her along the way. Although this anime is a little outdated, it is so cute and a great place to start. You can watch it all on both Hulu and Netflix.
- Toradora
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This anime is definitely more rom-com style and is also a great one to start with to get into the genre. Toradora follows Ryuji and Taiga, two students at the same school who happen to have crushes on the other’s best friend. Both are treated as outcasts, Taiga due to her short fuse and Ryuji due to his intimidating appearance, so they team up to help one another with their love lives and find love standing right in front of them. The anime follows the mishaps they have while trying to get their crushes to like them and it is honestly adorable. You can watch the first season on Netflix.
Anime is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are someone who loves romance novels like me and is looking for something new, I would definitely give it a try! You can watch any of these animes with English captions or the English dub if you need to. I promise it is 100% worth it and they will probably become your comfort shows as well.
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