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- Lerche
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- Liber / Zero-G
20 Modern Romance Anime You Should Definitely Watch
Vote up the best modern romance anime from 2015 onwards.
When some anime fans talk about romance anime, they talk about older series like CLANNAD or NANA. While there's nothing wrong with old school anime, sometimes you want something a little more recent. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the best new romantic anime right now. From shoujo dramas like Fruits Basket (2019) to comedies like Loving Yamada at Lv999! and Kaguya-sama: Love is War, there are plenty of wonderful new romance anime that will make your heart go doki doki.
The latest romance anime series include My Happy Marriage, a 2023 series set in an interesting historical time period that turns the arranged marriage trope on its head. Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku is for the adult twenty-somethings trying to manage both work and romance. My Dress-Up Darling is one of the most popular modern romance series in recent years, providing audiences with a good and realistic slow burn. Komi Can’t Communicate and Horimiya are both cute romcom animes set in high school with fun and unique main characters. For awesome animation, you can't skip Romantic Killer.
Hopefully, we named a few of what you think are the best modern romance anime - and maybe helped you add a series or two to your watchlist. Take a look below and vote up the newest romance anime recommendations that are worth the watch.
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- Horimiya
- CloverWorks
Release date: 2021
Some romance anime spend the whole time building up to the confession and don't actually show what the characters are like when they're together. Horimiya is refreshingly different. Hori and Miya get together within the first few episodes.
The thing that draws them together is the fact that both of them are hiding something. Hori presents herself as a bubbly and carefree girl, but in reality, she's shouldering some major responsibilities - practically raising her younger brother while her parents work. Meanwhile, Miya seems like a mind-mannered nerd, but is actually covered in tattoos and piercings.
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Release date: 2016
Your Name may be the best Makoto Shinkai film to date, and that's saying something considering the overall quality of his oeuvre.
Taki - a boy from Tokyo, and Mitsuha - a girl from a small town, randomly begin waking up with their consciousness in the other person's body. At first, they're simply amazed to be in the body of the opposite sex - Taki is especially appreciative of his new chest. But as the two of them start actually living each others' lives, they develop a connection to each other stronger than either have ever felt before.
There's a huge problem, though - Taki's timeline is a few years ahead of Mitsuha's, and in his timeline she's already passed away. Can he possibly save her - and will they ever be able to meet in person?
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- Loving Yamada at Lv999!
- Madhouse
Release date: 2023
If a romance between gamers sounds interesting to you, you have to check out Loving Yamada at Lv999!. Fresh out of a break up, Akane distracts her broken heart with Forest of Savior - a MMORPG video game. She's apart of a guild within the game and is shocked when she discovers that one of its members is pro gamer Yamada.
Although their connection barely starts off as a friendship, more interactions through their guild slowly bring the two closer and closer. Before either of them know it, they're beginning to develop feelings for one another, and realize Forest of Savior isn't the only game they're playing.
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- Fruits Basket (2019)
- TMS Entertainment
Release date: 2019
First adapted into a lackluster anime in 2001, Fruits Basket got the reboot it deserved in 2019. This anime has a lot more to it than romance, but the romance present is gorgeous.
Tohru Honda is a teenage orphan who camps out on the Sohma family's property. Instead of kicking her out, they take her in. She soon learns about the Zodiac curse, which forces members to transform when they hug a member of the opposite sex. This sounds silly, but the secrecy and codependency it produces is ruining their lives.
Tohru takes it upon herself to support the family emotionally and try to break the curse. This is a whole lot more complicated than it sounds - and she's going to need to focus on her own desires too, which means accepting that she's fallen in love with one of the Sohmas.
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- A Sign of Affection
- Aija-do
Release date: 2024
Yuki Itose had a sheltered upbringing due to her being deaf. When she attends college, she makes it a goal to break out of her shell and face the world head on. In doing so, her friend introduces her to Itsuomi Nagi - a multilingual travel enthusiast who quickly becomes enamored with her.
Although their connection is one that Yuki hasn't experienced before, she doesn't shy away from it, and he quickly becomes a new adventure to take on. With his indifference to her disability and many life stories to tell, the two develop a bond in this anime that will have your heart swelling from the very first episode.
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- My Happy Marriage
- Kinema Citrus
Release date: 2023
Set in a historical time period where some individuals are gifted with supernatural abilities, MIyo Samori has none. This leads to her family horribly mistreating her and abusing her throughout her life. When she thinks things can't get any worse, they marry her off to Kiyoka Kudo - a military leader infamous for being cruel to his prospective wives.
When Miyo arrives at her new home, though, she realizes that the rumors make Kiyoka to be something he's not. Her new husband-to-be is unexpectedly kind, and begins to show her a life where she can finally feel happiness. Together they learn about each other, protect one another, and find themselves falling in love in the process.
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- Snow White with the Red Hair
- Bones
Release date: 2015
When she's nearly forced to become the concubine of her nation's king, Shirayuki is rescued by Prince Zen Wisteria of the neighboring nation of Clarines. Shirayuki isn't especially enthusiastic about staying in Tanbarun and wanting to thank Zen for his help, she decides to serve the court of Clarines as an herbalist.
The two are attracted to each other from the beginning, but Zen's family is against them even being friends. Meanwhile, Shirayuki doesn't want special treatment because of her relationship with the prince - before giving in to her feelings, she wants to be able to stand on her own two feet.
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- My Dress-Up Darling
- CloverWorks
Release date: 2022
Ever since he was a little boy, Wakana Gojo has loved Hina dolls - in fact, he loves them so much that he wants to become a master of Hina doll creation. Though he's talented, he's worried about how others will react to his “effeminate” hobby. When his popular classmate Marin Kitagawa finds out, he thinks his reputation is doomed - but Marin thinks it's awesome. So awesome, in fact, that she wants him to help her with her cosplay.
As the two of them explore the exciting world of cosplay together, Gojo starts to come out of his shell. Meanwhile, Marin is falling head over heels for him.
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- Kaguya-sama: Love is War
- A-1 Pictures
Release date: 2019
Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane have a lot in common: they're both brilliant students, they're both members of the student council, and they're both madly in love with each other.
Unfortunately for them, they have even more in common: they're both extremely stubborn and refuse to confess their love first. Instead, they go to ridiculous lengths to try and get the other one to do it first. It's like if Death Note were a rom-com.
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- Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku
- A-1 Pictures
Release date: 2018
Wotakoi is a rare romance anime about adults with jobs. Whether you're a grown-up looking for something a little more relatable or a teenager looking for something outside the box, these series can be truly refreshing.
When she starts a new job, Narumi Momose is hoping to keep her otaku identity under wraps. This proves impossible when she discovers that her childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji also works there. While he's more or less willing to keep her secret, she realizes that she has a much better time geeking out with him than pretending to be someone she's not. What's more, she makes two new friends who are all into various iterations of anime and gaming fandoms.
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- Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
- CloverWorks
Release date: 2018
Did you love Monogatari but wish it were a little bit less pervy and a little more down-to-earth? Then you should check out Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.
Puberty Syndrome is a mysterious illness that seems to afflict only teenagers. It causes supernatural phenomenon in response to emotional problems. Though many people don't think it exists, Sakuta Azusagawa knows better after experiencing it himself.
Feeling major sympathy for other victims of the illness, he starts trying to help them out. He starts off with Mai Sakurajima, a child actress whose career is on hold because she's turned invisible. Sakuta helps her get to the root of her problem, the two fall in love and start dating, and then they start trying to help others with similar issues.
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- Romantic Killer
- domerica
Release date: 2022
Unlike a lot of high school girls, Anzu Hoshino has no interest whatsoever in romance. Instead, she'd rather focus on gaming, eating chocolate, and playing with her cat. But Riri, a weird magical wizard that suddenly appears from the otome game she's playing, declares that she's going to be the first person to experience a real world version of an otome game-style harem - whether she likes it or not.
Riri puts Anzu through a bizarre gauntlet of romantic cliches that are all designed to get her to fall in love with one of her classmates, Tsukasa Kazuki. Anzu is furious and refuses to give in to Riri's plan, but there's a problem: Tsukasa is actually pretty great.
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- The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague
- Liber, Zero-G
Release date: 2022
While adult romance anime are scarce compared to their teen romance counterparts, The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague is a fresh addition to the subgenre. The series follows Himuro, a descendant of a yuki-onna - or, a mythological ice woman. As a result, whenever his heart is filled with warmth, he causes snow and ice to flood his surroundings. This makes getting close to some of his favorite things - like flowers or cats - extremely difficult.
Enter Fuyutsuki: his demure and kind coworker. She notices his day-to-day struggles and makes an effort to bypass them any way she can. Watching Himuro and Fuyutsuki navigate Himuro's ice powers while simultaneously discovering their feelings for one another makes this a sweet and fun modern romance.
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- I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
- Studio VOLN
Release date: 2018
If you've watched Your Lie in April too many times for it to make you cry anymore, you should watch I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.
The protagonist has no desire to fall in love or even make friends, but after a chance encounter with a cheerful, extroverted girl named Sakura Yamauchi, he doesn't have much choice. Sakura's terminal pancreatic disease means that she doesn't have much time left. In the meantime, she wants to experience all the things on her bucket list, and she wants the protagonist's help. Though it isn't in his nature at all, he goes along with Sakura - and learns a lot about himself in the process.
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- Sugar Apple Fairy Tale
- J.C.Staff
Release date: 2023
Ann Halford is the daughter of a Silver Sugar Master, and wants to follow in her mother's footsteps. In order to do so, she needs to earn a royal medal at the Royal Candy Fair and be recognized for her confectionary skills. On her journey she meets and hires young Shall Fen Shall to accompany her and be her fairy bodyguard.
In addition to its sweet premise, the series also incorporates the issue of Ann being a human and Shall being a fairy. In the Sugar Apple Fairy Tale universe, there is a large divide between the two beings, but Ann doesn't believe in this and sees Shall as her equal. Ann and Shall try to figure out their undeniable connection while working together to make Ann's confectionary dreams come true.
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- Komi Can't Communicate
- OLM
Release date: 2021
Shouko Komi is wildly popular due to her looks, but she can't really make friends with people because of her social anxiety. Every time she tries to talk, she starts freaking out. But when she gets close to Hitohito Tadano, her world starts to expand.
Tadano understands Komi well enough to help her with her goal - to make 100 friends. As they work to complete this challenging mission, the two of them grow closer.
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- Tsuki ga Kirei
- feel.
Release date: 2017
If you like your romance realistic, you can't go wrong with Tsuki ga Kirei.
Track team member Akane Mizuno and aspiring author Kotarou Azumi develop a mutual crush on one another that has them at a total loss for what to do. The two are only in middle school, and have never experienced love before. They aren't sure how to communicate their feelings or understand what the other person is thinking. Can they get it together and start the relationship they both desperately want?
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- My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
- SILVER LINK.
Release date: 2020
When a young woman is reincarnated into Katarina Claes, the villain of her favorite otome game, she's deeply concerned. She knows that in this game, the villain usually meets with a terrible fate. Determined to avoid it, she decides to go against the scheming behavior displayed in the game and befriend everybody instead.
Her friendly, eccentric nature captivates everyone from her intended fiance to the heroine of the game. Sometimes all it takes to save your own skin is a little kindness - and a lot of hilarious stupidity.
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- The Quintessential Quintuplets
- Tezuka Productions
Release date: 2019
Futaro Uesugi has a major challenge ahead of him - getting the Nakano quintuplets to pass their exams. Though he's never worked as a tutor, his own grades are flawless. At first, the girls are resistant to his teachings and struggle to make progress. Uesugi's intense approach doesn't help matters much either.
But as he starts to get to know each of them individually - and as they start to trust him - things change for the better. Except there's a major complication - all five of them fall in love with him! How will he be able to choose between them when he cares so much about all of them?
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- Given
- Lerche
Release date: 2019
It can be hard to find BL romance that doesn't rely on toxic stereotypes. Given is one of those hard-to-find romances.
When Mafuyu Satou first asks Ritsuka Uenoyama to show him how to play his fancy guitar, he's annoyed. Who does this guy think he is, owning a gorgeous instrument without having any idea how to use it? Despite this, he begrudgingly accepts. He soon discovers that Mafuyu has a lovely singing voice, so he recruits him to be the lead singer of his band.
As Mafuyu learns to express himself through music, he reveals the tragic reason why he has the guitar, and gets closer to accepting his feelings for Ritsuka - meanwhile, Ritsuka is trying to figure out his own feelings.
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