It's not uncommon for anime series to idealize romance. The shojo genre is guilty of this, but so is shonen. How often does a protagonist get the girl just because she's there? And how often does the girl get the guy because he's supposed to complete her? And how rarely do queer couples make appearances?
But some of the best romances in anime are doomed from the start. Life is about hard lessons, and sometimes the best way to create a truly evocative, relatable story is to be blunt on the romance front. Most people don't marry their high school sweethearts. Some people never care for romance at all. And in anime, as in life, many couples simply aren't destined for eternity.
10 Both Nanas Face Harsh Romantic Realities (Nana)
Nana is a series that leaves a profound impact on those who see it through. While the manga had a much longer life than the anime adaptation, both are realistic to a fault when it comes to documenting the perils of young adulthood. When Nana Komatsu arrives in Tokyo all starry-eyed and idealistic, things can only go downhill. And while the show documents the highs of life as well as the lows, romance isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Both Nanas struggle to maintain healthy relationships. Nana Komatsu becomes pregnant but is uncertain which man is the father, and Nana Oosaki, who had a troubled upbringing, loses her fiance to a drug overdose. Life and love aren't easy in Nana, and they can't be taken for granted.
9 Fans Dared To Hope For Kousei & Kaori (Your Lie In April)
Shortly before the finale of Your Lie in April, violinist Kaori tells pianist Kousei that she can't attend his piano recital because she will be undergoing a risky surgery. In that instant, fans are torn between hope and despair. Kaori has been hospitalized, but this surgery could be the thing that saves her. Of course, this is not the case, and even as Kousei plays his piece, he knows in his heart that Kaori has not survived.
While there are too many shows, books, and films in which a girl dies to help propel the story of a boy, Your Lie In April avoids falling prey to this trope because Kaori, like Kousei, is a fully realized character, and her life is never treated as an afterthought.
8 The Fate Of Zero Two & Hiro Helps Ruin A Finale (Darling In The Franxx)
Just as the ending of Darling in the Franxx doomed the show to a disappointing reputation, so did the melodramatic sacrifice of its protagonists doom a romance that fans once supported. Fans admired Franxx for its animation and characters, yet the pacing and melodrama soon overwhelmed any genuine emotions the series evoked. Killing off Zero Two and Hiro only to have them reincarnate as children feels like a cop-out.
7 Nezumi & Shion Part For No Good Reason (No. 6)
Set in a dystopian society, No. 6 focuses on boys living extremely different lives. Shion lives cloistered away in a technologically advanced, safe city, while Nezumi grows up in the desolate wasteland beyond the walls.
When their worlds collide, both are forever changed, and eventually, they become determined to unearth the corruption infecting society. Along the way, the pair falls in love, dancing in the wreckage of a desolate junkyard. But by the end of the anime, the two go their separate ways for no good reason, causing fans to scratch their heads and question the finale even years later.
6 Isla & Tsukasa Were Doomed From The Very Beginning (Plastic Memories)
Plastic Memories' status as a certified tearjerker was always inevitable. The very premise of the show -- that extremely human androids have a set, limited lifespan -- guaranteed that grief would be around for the course. But to make things worse, androids approaching or passing their expiration dates usually develop violent tendencies and memory loss. The moment the show presents two protagonists working together, one an android and one a young man, it doesn't take a genius to see where this will end.
5 Linda Loves Banri, A Boy Who Has Vanished (Golden Time)
Banri and Linda were best friends in high school, and at a graduation party, Banri confesses his love to her. Linda, unsure how to respond, tells Banri to wait for her answer, but things go terribly wrong. On the way home from the party, Banri falls from a bridge and sustains serious brain damage and amnesia, forgetting Linda ever existed.
When they meet again in college, Banri is trying hard to form some kind of personal identity, and the person he was before is gone forever. As hard as things are for Banri, the pain Linda feels upon seeing him move on as though she never existed cannot be understated. After all, as viewers find out by the end, Linda loved him too.
4 Tomoyo & Nagisa Realize There's No Such Thing As Happily Ever After (Clannad: After Story)
Arguably, the first Clannad anime hasn't aged well. The Key visual novel art style isn't to everyone's taste, and more striking slice-of-life series have made waves in the years since its sequel, Clannad: After Story aired in 2008. But Kyoto Animation knows how to deliver emotional wallops, and there are few who could sit through After Story with dry eyes.
Tomoya and Nagisa, who became a couple in high school, embark on their young adult lives together. While the first series was average, After Story enhances the story, world, and characters with harrowing realism. The young couple with the world ahead of them soon realizes reality is less than kind, and the joy they feel at having a child together is brutally cut short when Nagisa dies after giving birth.
3 The Relationship Between Gin & Hotaru Could Only End One Way (Hotarubi No Mori E)
Fans of Natsume Yuujinchou know that author Yuki Midorikawa can weave a heartwrenching story. Even so, when Hotarubi No Mori E, a short film about a girl and a spirit, was released, fans were not prepared for the emotional blow it would deal. While on summer vacation, Hotaru Takegawa discovers and befriends a forest spirit named Gin, who warns her that if ever they touch, he will disappear. For years they maintain a friendship that eventually turns into love. But a single moment, a single touch, undoes them forever.
2 Ash & Eiji Deserve Better, But This Ending Feels Fully Earned (Banana Fish)
Too often, mainstream media kills off LGBTQ+ characters in order to propel a narrative or evoke sympathy. Over time, this pattern of storytelling has left queer audiences jaded and irritated. Why must all LGBTQ+ stories be tragedies?
Having said that, sometimes a tragic ending transcends sexuality and suits the inherent trajectory of a character. Ash of Banana Fish has had the roughest of lives, and while Eiji's love helps him find value in living, it's not enough to save him. Despite the sad ending, queer fans have largely embraced Banana Fish. When a story is written this well, and gay or ambiguous characters stand at the forefront, the heartbreak feels fully earned.
1 Stars Separate A Boy & A Girl In Voices Of A Distant Star
Long before Your Name shattered box office records and broke audiences' hearts worldwide, director Makoto Shinkai produced another anime film about star-crossed lovers. Voices of A Distant Star, remarkable because it was almost entirely created by Makoto Shinkai alone, is a beautiful blend of romance and science fiction.
Set in the not-too-distant future, the story chronicles a girl and a boy divided by space and time when the girl is conscripted to fight aliens galaxies away. The further away the girl travels, the longer it takes for the boy to receive her correspondence. Eventually, an impossible distance separates them.