The anime community anxiously awaits Winter 2023 anime season as 2022 comes to a close in just a few weeks. Just like most years, 2022 brought its fair share of commendable romance series, whether it was the continuation of a popular series like Rent-A-Girlfriend, or something more unique, like More Than A Married Couple, But Less Than Friends. Undoubtedly, anime fans had plenty of romance titles this year, but 2023 boasts an even larger catalogue of exciting new anime.
Luckily, Winter 2023 will kick off with some highly anticipated romantic comedies and shojo anime, which might set the bar for the rest of the year. From some returning popular stories to new ones, here are the best romance anime to look out for going into 2023.
A Galaxy Next Door
From Asahi Production comes a visual masterpiece which will surely enchant those who are interested in the manga industry. A Galaxy Next Door is about a struggling manga artist named Ichiro Kuga who is stuck making a living for his younger siblings after his parent's death. However, Ichiro starts to struggle as his assistant quits, and he's left on the brink of a total meltdown when a stranger arrives.
Shiori Goshiki isn't just a mysterious beauty, but a gifted artist who helps Ichiro, later declaring that the pair are engaged. Balancing two younger siblings and his strange new "fiancé", Ichiro has a lot he needs to figure out, and fast.
The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague
This brand-new office romance is anything but typical -- every employee is embued with supernatural abilities. Himuro does not only have to deal with his own supernatural powers, but also adjusts to his new life at work. Though Himuro-kun is actually kind, and not like a shut-off, broody hunk, he can't help but literally freeze up with he's around his colleague, Fuyutsuki-san.
Luckily, she's as clueless as they come, but it would be a treat to watch Himuro's resilience not to cause a snowstorm and how the romance heats up between the two. This amazing supernatural rom-com from Zero-G and Liber is set to air during the upcoming Winter 2023 anime season, in early January.
Tomo-Chan Is A Girl!
Tomboy leads are often completely oblivious to the affections of all the boys fawning over them, but Tomo-Chan Is A Girl! is bringing something new to the table as this story follows a tomboy coming to terms with her femininity so that she can confess to her childhood best friend.
Tomo Aizawa's best friend Junichirou is unable to look past her tomboy persona, and doesn't even consider the possibility that she's actually a girl. Tomo is determined to have Junichirou acknowledge her femininity without sacrificing her own style, which subverts typical tropes in which a tomboyish character often changes their entire persona to appease their partner.
Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte
The rampant popularity of the villainess subgenre seems to be unending with the upcoming release of Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte. The fate of Lieselotte, a devious villainess, is in the hands of high schoolers who are too bored to do anything else.
While Endo and Kobayashi argue about the fate of the characters outside the game, little do they realize -- Lieselotte's fiancé is listening in on their conversation. This leads to the character walking down a completely different path than intended. An anime where characters aren't transported into the game's world is a much-needed change of pace, and subverts many of isekai's tired tropes.
Masamune-kun Revenge 2
All Masamune-kun wanted was to take his revenge on Adagaki Aki for breaking his heart when he was a little kid. Many viewers thought that Masamune's reasons for revenge were shallow and clichéd, but the show's entertaining pace says otherwise.
While Masamune started out with a foolproof plan, things went off the rails when things started to get "real," and it's still confusing as to who will surrender first. Of course, there are additional characters in the mix the last time fans saw Masamune and Aki.
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten
Amane never thought that he'd have the exotic beauty that everyone calls "angel" at school offering to help him around the house. Amane is an average guy who shares the same neighborhood as the eccentric Mahiru, whom everybody adores. She might have never noticed him, until one fateful day when he offered her an umbrella while she was sitting alone in a park.
The mysterious romance between the two protagonists seems like a cozy way to welcome the new year, and with the dynamics introduced in the trailer for The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, the series will likely be an instant hit among diehard romance anime fans.