What Is The Best Romance Anime?

[Setsukyie]

Best romance animes for me:

- Kanon 2006
My favorite romance anime & my 2nd (or 3rd) favorite anime.. Interesting stories & characters...

- Honey & Clover
A great mix of romance, drama, & comedy.. The character development in this anime is the best so far...

- Clannad
A new anime.. Liking it so far... The anime is produced by KyoAni & the game is from Key (the same as Kanon 2006).. So I'm expecting it will be as good as Kanon 2006...

- School Rumble
It has romance, drama, character development, & comedy (well..mostly comedy..).. A very good anime...



I also like Chobits, DN Angel, Da Capo, Da Capo 2, Shuffle, & Ouran High School Host Club

[tripperazn]

- Iriya no Sora UFO no Natsu
Check sig and avatar for this series's amazing art. Perhaps the most underrated series in recent years. A tale of love and sacrifice with realistic characters. Features an intense speed eating contest...between the female leads. The campfire dance is one of the best scenes in all of anime.

-Sola
Features 2 refreshingly original leads and possibly the best executed rising action ever with Matsuri and Yorito. Yorito's persistence and resolution is a godsend after countless wimp male protagonists.

- Hanbun Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
Another 6 episode gem adapted from light novels. A touching and earnest look at love, life, and how they relate to each other.

- Air (Movie NOT Series)
A much shorter and IMHO better version of the amazing Key work. Think Air anime with a much more realistically portrayed Yukito and Misuzu, minus all the annoying side characters. Excellently directed and animated.



It takes the same amount of time to watch ALL 4 of these as a typical 26 ep series, and they are all available on youtube at the moment. If you haven't seen these, do yourself a favor and go watch them. No annoying harem, no pussy male leads, just fast-paced character development and romance anime at its very best.

[EhrinUCHI]

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal
Ef~a tale of memories
Bokura Ga Ita
Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
Lovely Complex
NANA
Honey & Clover
Byousoku 5 Centimeter
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Kanon 2006
Vampire Knight
Nodame Cantabile
Kimikiss pure rouge
Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
Ouran High School Host Club
Noein

[Kaitoukidsama]

Here are my top 4:

1. Chobits
2. Maison Ikkoku
3. Fruits basket
4. Love Hina (Kinda romantic, i guess)

[Siegzon Caritas]

Fruits Basket--This is more about the nature of Love than romance, but if we call it romance genra, it blows everything else out of the water for me. Tohru more eloquently revealed love than any other fictional character I know.

Ah My Goddess--More for the one shots than the long Keichi/Belldandy relationship. Urd going Chibe and having a boy who saves her sake fall for her. That choked me up. Skuld becoming a woman for a day and falling for K; Skuld learning to ride a bike and getting a boyfriend...and on and on. AMG doesn't get enough credit for all the wonderful one shot stories as well as the great fantasy arcs. Bell is awesomeness too; and Urd. sigh...I'm jonesin to buy season 2, but so pricey...

Ai yori Aoshi--though it is so sugary at times and haremy, but it is a strong romance. I heart Miyabi.

Maison Ikkoku/Ranma 1/2--Both romantic comedy's. I mean seriously, Ranma is not a shonen story. It's always about guy/girl and a cheezy fun fight.

H&C--I find the love relationships dry though I liked the characterization. Better as a slice of life than a romance.

Nodame Cantabile and Lovely Complex--a romantic comedy both and fun.

Lamune--I absolutely loved Lamune but hated, hated the goofball end. Whatever.

A short about characters ina hospital, but I have forgotten it now.

[bbduece]

Originally Posted by mdauben

In no particular order, my own choices would be:

1. Ai Yori Aoshi - Yeah, its a harem comedy, but once you look past that there is a very nice romance story between the two main characters.
2. Onegai Teacher - Sure, its a silly premis (I married my home room teacher from outer space?!) but once you accept that part, the development of the relationship between the two main characters is one of the most "real" relationships I have ever seen in anime.
3. REC - A wonderful romance between two wonderful characters thrown together by chance.
4. Banner of the Stars - A very understated romance that develops across three series, against an epic "Star War"-esque background.
5. Midori no Hibi - Another silly concept with a wonderful love story featuring two great characters.

I have to agree, once u look pass the ecchi and harem of Ai Yori Aoshi, its a really sweet romance
to me it is a mordern take on a 'princess with a pure heart' trying to be together with her 'prince charming from her past'

[bbduece]

Originally Posted by Atheuz

I disagree completely. I really hated this anime once it got to episode 10+, it became really stretched and boring.

Here's my list.

1. Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora - Really well made, even if it's short.
2. Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
3. Kanon(2006)
4. Midori no Hibi

I have to disagree, the two leads were really cute together, it felt like they were ment for each other and it was fun to watch whenever they get a chance to be together since the harem power of the male lead is in the way

[bbduece]

Originally Posted by Rengemaru

For some reason, not so many people liked Ai Yori Aoshi, although it had some heavy romance in it. But, each has his/her taste.
Although some of the stuff is mentioned but I'm surprised that only 2 people recommended Lamune, it was one of the best romance anime around. not to make it long, here's my favorites in no particular order

Chobits, Onegai Teacher/Twins, REC, Boys Be, Ai Yori Aoshi, ToHeart, ToHeart ~remember my memories~, Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora, Canvas2, Lamune, Kanon(06/03), Strawberry Panic, Futari Ecchi, Final Approach, Love Hina, Midori no Hibi, and finally, my all time favorite Air.

i'm wondering is it because of the harem and ecchi that turns pure romance fans away

I love Aiyori Aoshi, among my top 5 favorite anime romance

[bbduece]

Originally Posted by Ultenth

Realism isn't required for a romance to be good, but there are a few out there that are such as Bokura Ga Ita. Overall for actual romance I generally find harem falling flat due to the nature of all the women to focus all their attentions on the main character and be completely loyal to him even if he doesn't choose them. In reality we know many of them would just move on and find another guy that truely loves them, which is what I find annoying about harems. There is no way all those girls would wait around for one guy and not find someone else, and because of that the romance doesn't seem just unrealistic, but outright fake and more of a guys fantasy or wet dream than a real romance.

harem is a metaphor for problems and temptation that can deviate one or both characters from thier love, given that more realistic situation would be more appropriate, some writers dont want to take a chance so they will rely on using harem as a save bet to entertain a good portion of the targeted audience

that is why i think harems make good love story too, but then again harem themes will turn away a lot of viewers so its a matter of taste

a show like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien is a love story but instead of harem they use love triangles and sad situations

Love triangles, harems, love hate relations, etc are different ways writers create tension, there is a demographic for all these themes, and its not really fair to state that harems are not true love story since the love between the characters is clearly there

harem does exist in real life just not that far fetch as depicted in animes
-one guy with some female friends attracted to him- i'm pretty sure this is real
-one girl with some of her male friends attracted to her- this i know exist

"a guys fantasy or wet dream" this makes the harem that much more enjoyable for the male viewers as this aspect of harem is targeted towards the male veiwers, its basically a 'bait to reel in the fish'

i'm not a girl so i'm not really sure what type of 'bait' they use to attract female viewers but it's there and it can be boring and drive some viewers away but enjoyable for the target audience
and if these bored viewers thought it was boring and denounce it as a true love story wouldnt it be unfair as well.

[mystic210]

Kanon(2006) - great art and character's with a great plot to
Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien - it begins as a simple harem but later it becomes much more than that
Love Hina - very original so many other romance anime have copied it, its a classic
Air - very good but it could've had a much better ending though also very sad

[EternalSin]

Bokura Ga Ita
Lovely Complex
Kare Kano (manga since anime was crap and unfinished)
Onegai Teacher
Peach Girl

[khryoleoz]

Ai Yori Aoshi for me. Even the harem setting is but a break in the intensity that an entire 24 episode run of Kaoru and Aoi's sweet, tenderly moving moments would have put me through.

[XsillyskittlesX]

hmmm.. for me Kanon was definately the BEST Romance Anime it had a great character development and plot
but these are also some of my favs
~School Rumble - i just started watching this and Harima is already one
of my favorite characters
~Shuffle! - one of the few other harem animes that interested me
~Rurouni Kenshin - Definitely one of my all time favorite animes but for romance
im not sure..

[patnam]

ef - a tale of memories - quite comfused but interesting....... love the relationship of Hiro/Miyako
Kanon 2006 - funny but very sad romance......
CLANNAD - more complicating romance anime......

[Defron]

1. Kare Kano- my favorite (and even though the ending for the anime wasn't the best, I was still satisfied)
2. Fruits Basket- I actually wasn't into it until I was over at my friend's house and watched half of it in one sitting.
3. School Rumble - loved it right away.

[Archuka]

1) Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien - Perhaps my favourite anime of all time. Was I the only one who found a very strong secondary theme in it? I felt that in additon to the romance theme we had a strong nostalgia theme. Friends grow apart and walk their separate ways and then reminisce about the good old days and so on. Oh and the ED in this series was probably the best in the history of anime.

2) REC - This series was so very heartwarming! The female lead was incredibly cute in a non-sugary way and I never felt like punching the male lead either. Plus it had an excellent OP.

3) Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora - This was good in so many ways that it deserves a spot on my list. What was possibly better than the actual romance, though, was the kick-ass nurse! We need more roles for her seiyuu!


Some random comments regardingt he subject:

- Love Hina was excellent when I saw it, though it was long ago so my tastes might have changed.
- The Kenshin OVA was quality in a box, though it also had plenty of boring moments.
- Shuffle! can not be taken seriously as a romance anime. I'm not sure why I watched the whole thing.
- Kanon (2006) was decent, but also cannot be taken seriously due to its ridiculous characters. And what kind of self-respecting high schooler would fall for Ayu the pseudo-kindergartener?

Originally Posted by textureheap

Welcome to the NHK!

Can we really call this a romance anime? I pobably wouldn't.

[MamoruUsagi]

Sailor Moon
Fushigi Yugi
Kare First Love
Akuma De Sourou
Bokura ga Ita
Kare Kano
Mars
Wild Act
Ceres Celestial Legend
Happy Hustle High
The Devil Does Exist
Black Bird
Fushigi Yuugi
Ayashi no Ceres
Doubt!!
Sensual Phrase
Paradise Kiss
Missile Happy!
B.O.D.Y.
Sand Chronicles
Bokura ga Ita
Ultra Cute
High School Debut
Marmalade Boy
Peach Girl
Mars
Absolute Boyfriend
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play
Punch!
High School Debut
Can't Lose You
Sensual Phrase
Love Attack
Ultra Maniac
Itazura na Kiss
We Were There
Koukou Debut
Land of the Blindfolded

Basically, it's best when the couple gets together at the beginning of the series and is boyfriend/girlfriend and dating and in a relationship for the majority of the series so you see them as a couple, having sex, dating, kissing, having sex and being in a relationship and moving in together or getting married and having a real sexual relationship. I usually prefer American soap operas and teen dramas because they have that, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Party of Five and One Tree Hill and Gilmore Girls and Party of Five and Beverly Hills 90210 are great examples of it, so for real romance, American dramas and soap operas are the best, but for this type, these series are good.

[Norenaga]

OK so everyone who mentioned Da Capo II as a romance anime is totally completely wrong! I mean yeah in the begining where Koko confesses it's really cool. But the way the anime ends... lets u wanting for more... so uncool!

[Tran225]

5 centimeter per second is a pretty good romance anime

[kucigaromeo]

I seconded tipperazn comment on Iriya no Sora UFO no Natsu and Sola.
Plus I want to add Fruits Basket, the romance build up slowly.
And Ghibli movies such as Mimi wo Sumaseba (wishper of heart) are great example of finely executed romance.
Generally I think too much romance will kill the anime, that's why I avoid most harem anime like plague.