The world of anime covers a wide range of literary genres, from period pieces like Vinland Saga to horror like Another. However, anime is best known for focusing on action/adventure series and romances. Romance anime tend to either focus on drama. They could also be comedies with a light and carefree tone.
Plenty of great drama romance anime series exist, and, while they have a lot to offer, anime fans aren't always in the mood for heartbreak. Plenty of other anime series make romance light and fun, and the visual style and tone of anime make these anime very popular and well-known.
10 Komi Can't Communicate Is A Cheery Semi-Romance Anime
Komi Can't Communicate isn't quite a full-blown romance, since the story focuses on more than just the budding relationship between Shoko Komi and Hitohito Tadano. The story is mainly about Shoko's personal quest to make 100 friends and reinvent her social life, but the romantic subplot is substantial all the same.
Komi Can't Communicate is a light romance with a positive tone and plenty of lovable characters, and there is practically no drama at all, aside from a love triangle later in the source manga. Even then, no one is about to get their heart broken in this story.
9 Love Hina Balances Token Drama With Great Humor
Before he drew the popular fantasy series Mahou Sensei Negima!, author Ken Akamatsu drew a popular rom-com series called Love Hina, starring the hapless hero Keitaro Urashima, who is determined to make it into the University of Tokyo somehow. And he's even got a harem of girls by his side at the Hinata Inn.
Love Hina does have some drama, but the tension is quickly and often broken in favor of humor, and the main characters experience wacky hijinks rather than serious heartache. This series takes itself seriously at times, but not excessively so. Keitaro and Naru's budding romance elicits far more laughs than tears.
8 Horimiya Is A Cuddly Rom-Com In High School
Horimiya, based on the popular source manga of the same name, is a recent rom-com that took the anime world by storm. Like many rom-coms, this series is set in high school, a familiar and nostalgic setting for many viewers.
At times, Horimiya gets a little serious to help keep the series grounded, but nothing truly heartbreaking or tragic happens, not even a nasty breakup. Instead, characters like Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura are in for a fun and exciting school year of budding romances, friendships, and more than a few bizarre hijinks.
7 Wotakoi Makes Office Romances Look Glamorous
Wotakoi takes place in the office, making it more relatable to 20-somethings or young 30-somethings who have moved on from the watered-down romances and drama of high school. Wotakoi's main characters aren't shy and awkward teenagers - they're adults who know exactly what they like, and they're in the mood for love.
Office romances can get messy, but not this time. Wotakoi's main characters have strong friendships that bud into charming romances, and it's all thanks to their shared passion for otaku culture, from video games to cosplay and BL manga
6 Don't Toy With Me, Ms. Nagatoro! Features A Sadodere
Another charming entry to the "high school rom-com" archetype is Don't Toy With Me, Ms. Nagatoro!, an anime based on the ongoing manga of the same name. The protagonist is the shy, artistic student Naoto Hachioji, who loves to sketch. Then there's Hayase Nagatoro, a playful troublemaker who likes to mess with him after school.
Hayase is what's called a "sadodere," a character who expresses their affection with teasing, obnoxious behavior, and even light bullying. At first, Hayase overplayed her hand and upset Naoto, but then she restrained herself and allowed a more genuine friendship, and subtle romance, to blossom.
5 Science Fell In Love So I Tried To Prove It Experiments With True Love
Wotakoi isn't the only office rom-com for 20-something viewers to identify with. There's also Science Fell in Love so I tried to Prove It, with a title that is fairly self-explanatory. The lovebirds are fellow scientists, the gorgeous Ayame Himuro and the incredibly handsome but aloof Shinya Yukimura.
Ayame and Shinya are definitely into each other, but as professionals, they want to verify and analyze their feelings first before going on any serious dates. To their co-workers' amusement, they both conduct experiments to assess their true feelings. They'll do anything except just say "I love you!"
4 Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun Blends Light Romance With Manga
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun isn't a pure romance, since it's also about the creation of shojo manga and general high school hijinks. It can be generously categorized as a rom-com, though, especially since the heroine, Chiyo Sakura, has an undeniable crush on her creative classmate, Umetaro Nozaki.
Unfortunately, Chiyo's crush is one-sided, and Nozaki is more focused on drawing his serialized shojo manga, Let's Fall in Love. Still, Nozaki appreciates Chiyo as a friend and assistant, and there are other budding romances to think about, too. Everyone's falling in love around her.
3 Girlfriend, Girlfriend Is Just Plain Wacky
Girlfriend, Girlfriend is a short but amusing rom-com anime set in high school, and as the name suggests, the male lead, Naoya Mukai, has two girlfriends. He's not actually cheating on anyone - he's simply in two genuine relationships at the same time. It's essentially a sanctioned love triangle.
Naoya's first girlfriend, Saki Saki, isn't too thrilled to share Naoya's heart with someone, but incredibly, this wacky love triangle manages to hold itself together. At the very least, Saki Saki gets along with the other girlfriend, the gentle Nagisa Minase. Then there's Rika, a girl who makes it her mission to stir up trouble at every opportunity.
2 My Senpai Is Annoying Stars A Tiny Tsundere
My Senpai is Annoying is a charming josei manga/anime series that would appeal to fans of Wotakoi, though this series doesn't involve otaku culture very much. Instead, the story stars Futaba Igarashi, a petite but tough tsundere who is determined to impress her huge co-worker Harumi Takeda and win his heart.
It's an uphill climb for Futaba to get Takeda to recognize her, but she's trying, and, slowly but surely, they grow closer together. Takeda annoys Futaba anytime he treats her like an adorable little sister, but all that may change sooner or later. There's also a secondary romance between Sota and Toko.
1 TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Is All About Domestic Bliss
Unlike most romance stories, TONIKAWA actually begins with marriage, rather than treating marriage as the end goal. There is little to no drama between Nasa Yuzaki and his bride Tsukasa, so their conflicts are mostly exterior ones, such as dealing with obnoxious family members or trying to figure out their financial life.
TONIKAWA has an easygoing and optimistic tone, and it makes for easy watching while also having an element of mystery. The story vaguely suggests a supernatural connection between Tsukasa and the moon goddess Kaguya, and Tsukasa might be centuries older than she looks. Just what did Nasa get himself into?