Best Romance Anime On Crunchyroll
Descriptions
Crunchyroll's ever-expanding library of content is the perfect gateway for fans to get into every anime subgenre imaginable. From isekai to shonen to wonderfully awful harem comedies, Crunchyroll has it all. Romance is one of the most consistently popular literary genres and there are lots of romance anime for fans to delve into on the streaming service.
Since Crunchyroll's recent merge with Funimation in 2022, the library has only gotten larger. Choosing which romance series to start with may be difficult at first, but there are solid classics and popular new hits that fans can't go wrong with.
Update on September 8th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: Fans of romance anime are sure to fall in love with Crunchyroll's outstanding collection of romantic anime, and this list has been updated to add even more outstanding anime titles and match Crunchyroll's current lineup. This list has also been updated to match CBR's current publication standards and features two more entries for the best romance on Crunchyroll any anime fan could ask for.
25 Love After World Domination (2022)
12 Episodes
Love After World Domination ranks among the best romance anime on Crunchyroll for fans who want a special twist to their love stories. This isn't just some high school romantic fling -- Love After World Domination is more like a Power Rangers parody with the heroic Gelato team and the villainous Gecko organization.
Love can bloom anywhere, even on a superhero battlefield, as this delightful romancd anime shows. Fudo Aikawa, the Gelato team's leader, is secretly dating the gorgeous and deceptively kind Reaper Princess, who couldn't help falling for Fudo's sweet charms. But their love is forbidden, so Fudo and the Reaper Princess must pretend to fight whenever their respective friends show up.
24 A Galaxy Next Door (2023)
12 Episodes
A Galaxy Next Door is a fine pick for any romance anime fan who enjoys love stories about young adults rather than high schoolers. Protagonist Ichiro Kuga is a 23-year-old shojo manga artist who's always looking for help, and his new assistant, the charming blonde Shiori Goshiki, is glad to help him make some art.
Shiori is no ordinary manga assistant, however. She hails from a small, reclusive island where the people have supernatural powers and take their contracts to marry quite seriously. Shiori and Ichiro accidentally became "engaged" this way and musn't stray apart, which might complicate their budding love life and manga career.
23 Masamune-Kun's Revenge (2017)
12 Episodes
Masamune-kun's Revenge follows the titular Masamune who strove to improve himself in high school due to getting bullied as a child. Specifically, he wants Aki Adagaki to fall in love with him since she'd previously rejected him for being overweight.
Masamune started working out and getting into shape to get his revenge on Aki by making her fall in love with him, only to reject her. Things went surprisingly well for Masamune until he received a letter from an anonymous sender making fun of his past insecurities.
22 Yona Of The Dawn (2014)
24 Episodes & 3 OVAs
Yona of the Dawn follows the titular Yona after her father, King Il, is killed by her childhood friend, Soo-won. After fleeing the kingdom with her bodyguard, Hak, they become fugitives, and Yona's forced to learn how to fight.
If Yona wants to retake the kingdom, she also has to find the four dragons, recruit them as her allies, and bring an ancient legend to fruition. Yona of the Dawn has equal amounts of action and romance, with the chemistry between Hak and Yona being extremely apparent throughout the whole series. Yona of the Dawn's stylish fantasy setting, its colorful characters, and strong female lead all add up to make it one of the best romance anime on Crunchyroll for sure.
21 Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020)
1 Film
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is a romance film following Tsuneo Suzukawa and Kumiko. Tsuneo is a hardworking student who struggles to balance all of his jobs with academics. He wants to study abroad, however, so he needs the money. One night, he met Kumiko, a girl in a wheelchair who prefers the name "Josee."
Josee's rather hard to get along with, but Tsuneo made the effort after her grandmother asked him to be her caretaker. Tsuneo wanted to give up but changed his mind after hearing about how Josee, like himself, wanted to travel the world one day.
20 Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro! (2021)
24 Episodes
Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro is more of a prickly romantic comedy than some fans have watched before. Nagatoro loves picking on Naoto, her senpai. Naoto is an introverted, shy artist who just wants to enjoy his hobbies in peace. Unfortunately, Nagatoro and her friends have bullied the poor guy to tears several times.
Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro is still a romantic comedy, however, and the chemistry between them is pretty apparent. Lots of Nagatoro's teasing leads to wholesome, but awkward moments between her and Naoto.
19 A Couple Of Cuckoos (2022)
24 Episodes
A Couple Of Cuckoos follows Nagi Umino, a high school student who was mistakenly switched with another newborn at birth. Then, he arranged to have dinner with his biological parents. A Couple Of Cuckoos' chaotic plot really kicks off when he meets Erika Amano, an influencer with a bubbly personality who Nagi's biological parents have been raising.
Erika asked Nagi to pretend to be her boyfriend, only for her parents to arrange their marriage shortly after. A Couple Of Cuckoos is a chaotic romance that may not be for everybody, but it's still worth watching at least once.
18 Engage Kiss (2022)
13 Episodes
Engage Kiss follows Shu, a professional demon hunter who wants to make a name for himself. However, he lives paycheck to paycheck since he's a reckless spender. Shu started hunting demons because he wanted retribution for what they did to his family, so he wasn't exactly in it for the paycheck.
However, Kisara is a demon and also Shu's best friend. Though she attends high school, she always looks out for Shu and wants to win his affection. Ayano, Shu's ex-girlfriend, also keeps an eye on Shu since he's irresponsible. Kisara thinks of Ayano as a romantic rival, and drama ensues.
17 Toradora! (2008–2009)
25 Episodes
Toradora! is a romantic comedy that proves opposites attract. Taiga Aisaka, known around school as the "Palm-Top Tiger," is a petite but fiery tsundere teenager who has a crush on Yuusaku Kitamura, the student council vice president.
Ryuuji Takasu looks ten times more intimidating than Taiga ever will, but he has a gentle personality and a passion for doing housework. He's also crushing on Taiga's best friend, Minori Kushieda. Taiga and Ryuuji met through happenstance and vowed to help each other with their crushes, but grew closer to each other in the process. Even after all this time, the community regards Toradora! as not just one of the best romance anime on Crunchyroll, but anywhere, and new fans will soon see why.
16 The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten (2023)
12 Episodes
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten is a sweet romantic comedy. It's an adaptation of a light novel of the same name, and the anime truly helps bring the series' wholesomeness to life. Amane and Mahiru go to the same school and even live right next door to each other, but never actually talked until Amane offered Mahiru his umbrella.
Touched by his kindness, Mahiru repays him by helping out around his apartment. It's a typical strangers-to-friends-to-lovers pipeline that everybody loves. It also has the laid-back tone that seems to define most of the rom-coms of the winter 2023 season.
15 Kimi Ni Todoke (2009–2011)
38 Episodes
Kimi Ni Todoke stars Sawako Kuronuma, a girl with an uncanny resemblance to the protagonist of The Ring series, earning her the derogatory nickname, "Sadako." Ridiculed and ostracized by her peers, Sawako is a timid, misunderstood girl who just wants to make some friends.
Sawako aspires to be like Shota Kazehaya, her class' most popular student. Unafraid of putting himself out there and perpetually cheerful, it's not surprising why so many people gravitate toward Shota. Sawako and Shota grew closer throughout the series, both of them impacting each other in unexpected ways.
14 My Dress-Up Darling (2022–Present)
12 Episodes
My Dress-Up Darling is a hilarious seinen that's just as much a love letter to cosplay culture as it is a risqué ecchi comedy. Wakana Gojo is a socially awkward high school student with a passion for creating hina dolls. One day, Wakana meets Marin Kitagawa, who immediately took an interest in his hobby and asked him to help her create a cosplay from her favorite anime.
One cosplay leads to another, and by the end of the first season, Wakana helped Marin rock a few of her favorite characters' looks. Marin and Wakana initially look like they have nothing in common, but they slowly fall in love throughout the series. This anime's endkess hijinks make it one of the funniest and best romance anime on Crunchyroll.
13 Sasaki & Miyano (2022–Present)
12 Episodes
Sasaki and Miyano is a boys' love romantic comedy that proves how a mutual love for manga can bring people together. Miyano is an avid reader of boys' love manga, but he didn't think he could fall in love with a guy until Sasaki came around. Sasaki helped one of Miyano's classmates ward off some bullies, and the two have been inseparable since.
Sasaki fell harder at first, but it took Miyano a while to come to terms with his sexuality. Sasaki and Miyano isn't a typical boys' love rom-com. Its sugary-sweet narrative is on par with shojo classics like Ouran High School Host Club and Fruits Basket.
12 Ouran High School Host Club (2006)
26 Episodes
Ouran High School Host Club takes place at the titular Ouran High, one of Japan's most elite and, probably, most eccentric schools. Haruhi Fujioka isn't wealthy, but she made it into the school with a scholarship. One day, Haruhi's life turned upside down when she was just trying to find a decent place to study. Instead, Haruhi stumbled upon the host club.
Immediately caught off-guard by the members' flirtatious antics and mistaken for a boy, Haruhi accidentally fell over and broke an $8,000,000 vase. Now, she has to pretend to be a boy and work for the host club to pay off her debts. Ouran High School Host Club only has one season, but fans will definitely feel compelled to pick up the manga after watching the final episode.
11 Fruits Basket (2019–2021)
63 Episodes & 1 Film
Fruits Basket isn't the average slice-of-life anime. It's not even the average romantic drama. Fruits Basket stars Tohru Honda, a girl who lives in a tent outside the Sohma estate because her parents are both dead and her extended family is unreliable. The Sohma family takes her in, and her life takes a total one-eighty spin from there.
Every member of the Sohma family is connected to the Zodiac curse. If they're hugged by the opposite sex, they turn into their associated animal. Suddenly lured into the Sohma family's drama, Tohru cherishes her connections with each member and vows to help them break the Zodiac curse.
10 Tomo-chan Is A Girl! (2023)
13 Episodes
Tomo-chan Is A Girl! follows Tomo Aizawa after she confessed to her childhood friend, Jun. Unfortunately, Jun mistook her confession as a show of appreciation for their friendship. Tomo thought that it was because Jun didn't see her as a girl, so she turned to her friends for advice on what to do.
Even though Tomo tried to do more traditionally feminine things like changing how she dresses or speaks, nothing quite worked for Jun, since he didn't want her to change in the first place. Jun's always seen her as a girl but was too dense to realize that her confession was romantic, rather than platonic.
9 Horimiya (2021–Present)
13 Episodes
Horimiya stars Kyoka Hori and Izumi Miyamura. Miyamura normally looks like a melancholic nerd in school, but outside of school, he's covered in piercings and tattoos. Kyoka's one of the most popular students, but her life isn't all that exciting since she normally just stays home taking care of her younger brother.
Miyamura found Hori's brother and brought him home one day, and he's been helping her take care of him since. They both have sides of each other they don't show to anyone else, which makes their relationship feel much more special. Horimiya is unique since it doesn't waste time on the "will-they-won't-they" nonsense and shows what happens after the confession.
8 The Ice Guy & His Cool Female Colleague (2023)
12 Episodes
The Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague won fans' hearts this winter anime season with its laid-back narrative and likable lead characters. Himuro is the descendant of a yuki-onna, a snow spirit. When he gets excited, he can spit out snowmen and even cause massive blizzards. When it's too hot out, he "melts" by shrinking into the size of a child.
Fuyutsuki, his coworker, didn't judge him at all the first time she saw snow falling around him. Throughout the series, Himuro falls more head over heels for Fuyutsuki while she helps him find ways to cope with his chilly reactions.
7 Kamisama Kiss (2012–2015)
25 Episodes
In Kamisama Kiss, Nanami Momozono was left out on the streets after getting evicted because of her father's terrible gambling habits. Resentful and entirely out of hope, Nanami's life turns upside down when a mysterious man kisses her for helping him, and she becomes the Mikage shrine's new land god.
She goes to the shrine where she meets Tomoe, an indignant fox yokai with a serious attitude problem. He refuses to acknowledge her as the new god, but Nanami vows to prove herself to him. Eventually, Tomoe respects Nanami and even falls in love with her.
6 Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War (2019–Present)
37 Episodes & 1 Film
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War is a chaotic seinen masterpiece that combines romance with psychological warfare. As the title states, love is war. Whoever cracks and confesses first is the loser in this arbitrary set of mind games between two of Shuuchin High's brightest minds.
Miyuki is the student council president, while Kaguya is the vice president. Their attraction to each other is obvious, but neither of them will admit it because they can't stomach the idea of vulnerability. Instead of talking their feelings out, they put each other and their fellow students through hell via endless mind games. It's definitely one of the best romance anime on Crunchyroll, but the anime doesn't tell the whole story -- fans can turn to Aka Akasaka's original manga for that.
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