Horimiya is a popular manga/anime franchise starring a sweet and wholesome central romance between the mysterious wannabe punk Miyamura Izumi and the popular big-sister type Hori Kyoko, who both learn that there's always more to someone than meets the eye. They learn to love one another for who they really are.
The Horimiya anime is now over, but the story continues in the original manga series, and a new one-shot manga story for Horimiya was recently announced too. That's good news for fans, but rom-com anime lovers can try a few more series in the same vein if they're in the mood for more. These series are perfect for any Horimiya fan.
Komi Can't Communicate Has Another Wholesome Romance
Komi Can't Communicate is a popular new entry to the vast rom-com anime genre, and fans are already looking forward to Season 2, which is due to air in the 2022 Spring anime season. This is the story of Komi Shoko, a kind but socially anxious girl who vowed to make 100 friends this year no matter what and transform her personal life forever.
Her first friend is her surprisingly empathic classmate, Tadano Hitohito, who sympathizes with her goal and will help her reach it no matter what. While Komi Can't Communicate is more about friendship and high school hijinks than passionate romance, the story does have a subtle and sweet romance between Komi and Tadano that Horimiya fans are sure to love.
Wotakoi Is Office Romance At Its Best
Many of the best rom-com anime series are set in high school, but there's an exception: the office romance series Wotakoi. Its lead characters are all in their late 20s and have much more life experience than a high schooler, but they still have their insecurities regarding their otaku fandoms. In this office, it's best for Momose Narumi and Nifuji Hirotaka to keep their geek side hidden, but this shared hobby will inevitably bring them together as the nerdiest of lovers.
At the same time, their friends Taro and Hanako get together much the same way, and even Hirotaka's little brother Naoya just might be falling for the shy but sweet Ko. Wotakoi is largely drama-free, like Horimiya, and it focuses on the best parts of a loving relationship, not the worst.
Maid-Sama! Also Features A Strong Heroine
Horimiya features a gentle male lead in Miyamura Izumi and a confident and cool female lead in Hori Kyoko, and anyone who appreciates the empowering and cool Kyoko could also try out the hit anime series Maid-Sama!, based on the original manga of the same name. In this shojo story, Ayuzawa Misaki is the no-nonsense, big-sisterly student council president who moonlights at a maid cafe to support her struggling single mother and sister, and she must keep that a secret.
Then her popular blond classmate Usui Takumi waltzes right into Misaki's life as a "pervy alien" of a lover who, despite his obnoxious antics, is smitten with her. Misaki soon embraces Takumi as a friend and ally, then as a lover, just in time to discover the wild truth of Takumi's mysterious backstory. There's more to him than meets the eye.
Science Fell In Love, So I Tried To Prove It Is About The Science Of Romance
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It is a short, sweet and educational romance series set in grad school, where fellow science students Himuro Ayame and her beau Yukimura Shinya are determined to run experiments and prove one thing: whether or not they're truly in love. Neither of them will just listen to their heart, but instead measure their pulses, crunch data, make pie charts and anything else they can think of to verify their amorous feelings.
Their peers think this is just a silly game, but Ayame and Shinya take it quite seriously, and fans will soon see for themselves just how hot their passion burns. It won't be easy though, since Shinya is a total kuudere, much to Ayame's frustration. Won't he ever just open up and tell Ayame how he feels?
Girlfriend, Girlfriend Is Raunchy But Sweet
Mukai Naoya is the hapless protagonist of the short but wild rom-com series Girlfriend, Girlfriend -- a kind but wacky boy who's determined to take his loving relationship with Saki Saki to the next level while also accepting the shy but charming Nagisa as his second and equally valid girlfriend. Naoya isn't doing this entirely for his own sake -- he genuinely wants to keep both girls happy and validate their feelings with his love, and he'd feel terribly guilty if he dumped one for the other.
He therefore does his best to humorously balance two serious girlfriends at once, and things get even messier when the vlogger Rika joins in to win Naoya's heart, while Saki's friend Shinro tries to get Naoya to dump all the girls but Saki Saki herself. Naoya is determined to keep everyone happy, but juggling this many girls at once is just as tough as it looks.