Being a hopeless romantic comes with the responsibility of endlessly finding new and exciting shows, movies, and games that have a romance that is up to the high expectations that come with the title. A great source of funny, touching, and light-hearted love stories is the many romantic comedy anime that have come out over the years. In particular, the last ten years have been a gold mine of romantic comedy anime that feature unique characters, quick wit, and intriguing storylines.
There are so many shows in the genre, it can be difficult to find the ones that really stand out and give off the giddy vibes that come with watching a truly great romance. To save some time, here is a list of the top romantic comedy anime from the last ten years!
10 Snow White With The Red Hair
Snow White With The Red Hair was released in 2015 and currently has two seasons. It takes place in a fantasy setting, and with the beautiful art, it is reminiscent of a fairytale. The main character, Shirayuki, is a herbalist with long, unusual red hair. Because of it, she captures the attention of Prince Raji, who wants to force her to be his concubine. Instead, she cuts her hair off and escapes to a neighboring kingdom. This is when she meets Zen, the second prince of the kingdom of Clarines. After she saves his life when he eats a poison apple that was meant for her, she decides to accompany him with the goal of becoming his court herbalist. The two eventually develop a romantic relationship, with both of them constantly trying to become better for each other.
9 My Love Story!!
My Love Story!! was released in 2015 and has one 24 episode season. It follows Takeo, a large, scary-looking high school student that scares everyone away from him with his appearance, despite how sweet he is. He also has an extremely attractive friend, Makoto, who tends to have all the girls around the duo fall in love with him. When Takeo first meets Rinko, a petite and innocent classmate, he saves her from a groper on the train. He assumes, like all the other girls he meets, that she's afraid of him and is only hanging around him to get close to Makoto. But this misunderstanding is quickly cleared up, and the two become a couple fairly early on in the series. The rest of the episodes are about the two adorable characters navigating their relationship together. This anime is easily the most wholesome of the options on this list.
8 Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It was released in 2020 and currently has two seasons. The premise of the series is a unique one, revolving around two scientists, Ayame and Shinya. When Ayame declares her love to her overly logical colleague, Shinya, he questions what exactly constitutes as "love." Because the two of them are completely inexperienced in romance, they turn to what they both do know: science. They create scientific tests to definitively prove whether or not they are really in love. This series is not only cute, but incredibly quick-witted and funny.
7 The Ancient Magus Bride
The Ancient Magus Bride was released in 2016 and currently has one season, but a second season has been announced to arrive in 2023. This anime is different from the others on the list in that it has much darker themes addressed, while still focusing on romance and having comedic elements. It follows Chise, a fifteen-year-old girl who has a dark past and nowhere to call home. She is put up for auction and is purchased for a huge sum by the Magus, Elias. It turns out Chise is a Sleigh Beggy, which makes her perfect to be Elias's magical assistant. However, when Elias brings her back to his beautiful cottage in the country, she finds out that he purchased her for more than being his assistant. He intended for her to be his bride, as well.
6 My Dress-Up Darling
My Dress-Up Darling was released in 2022 and currently has one season, but it's been announced that there will be second season in the future. The series is an opposites attract romance with the main characters being Wakana, a notoriously shy loner, and Marin, a beautiful, popular girl that is always surrounded by her friends. Wakana loves to create Hina dolls, a practice he learned from his grandfather. When Marin runs into him and sees his sewing skills, she immediately asks him for his help in making her cosplay outfits. At first, it seems like Marin is just using Wakana, but it becomes clear that he means more to her than that as they continue to grow closer over the course of many cosplays.
5 Toradora!
Toradora! was released in 2009 and currently has one season. This is another series that features main characters that are complete opposites. Ryuji is a kind, gentle student that loves doing housework, but scares everyone away with his intimidating face. Taiga is very petite and cute, but she has a feisty attitude and isn't afraid to throw hands when she sees fit. The two run into each other and realize that they each have a crush on the other's best friend. For Taiga, this is student council vice president, Yuusaku, and for Ryuji, this is Minori. Because Taiga is often home alone, and they live close to each other, Ryuji starts to take care of her as they both plot to help each other date their crushes. This show is hilarious, but it also has many heart-warming, intimate moments that prove just how much the characters mean to each other that are hard to find in other anime.
4 Horimiya
Horimiya was released in 2021 and currently has one season. The series revolves around the popular and smart Hori, and the meek, forgettable Miyamura. When Miyamura saves Hori's brother and brings him back to Hori's house, the two begin to spend some time together, and they realize that they are not the people that they appear to be at school. Hori's life isn't perfect; she's always busy with housework and taking care of her younger brother. Miyamura isn't as meek as he seems and when he's not at school, he sports a multitude of tattoos and piercings that his uniform typically hides. The two realize their feelings for each other quickly and develop a deep relationship that is touching to watch.
3 Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku was released in 2019 and currently has one season. The main character of this series is Narumi, a woman who is starting a new office job with a dark secret: she's an Otaku (nerd). She's determined to keep this information from her new co-workers, but runs into a problem when she finds out that she's working with her childhood friend, Hirotaka, who is very aware of her secret. He is an Otaku himself, as well as her new friends and co-workers, Hanaka and Torou.
Narumi is finally around people who accept her for who she is, but still complains to Hirotaka that her last boyfriend broke up with her because of her Otaku hobbies, including her love for Yaoi. Hirotaka suggests that she date him, someone who is like her and would never judge her. She immediately accepts, but the relationship moves slowly, as both of them are both comically awkward about anything that comes close to romance.
2 Fruits Basket (Remake)
The original Fruits Baskets was released in 2001, but the popular remake of the show was released in 2019 and currently has three seasons. The optimistic and always helpful Tohru is living in a tent after the death of her mother. However, things turn around when she meets the Sohma family, and they offer to let her live with them after her tent is crushed. She quickly realizes that there is something very different about the Sohma family, and finds out they have secret that involves them each turning into a different animal from the Chinese Zodiac when they're emotional, weak, or hugged by the opposite gender.
She promises to keep their secret and to try and help them break their curse, especially after she meets Kyo. Kyo is the black sheep of the family as he is the cat, the animal that never officially made it into the Zodiac. Initially, Kyo pushes Tohru away due to the many dark secrets that he hides, but she breaks through his barriers and the two develop a meaningful relationship that blossoms into romance.
1 Kaguya-Sama: Love is War!
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War! was released in 2019 and currently has two seasons. The series follows two student council members, Kaguya and Muyiki, at an exclusive academy. In the first episode, the two already have intense romantic feelings for each other, but they've gone unacknowledged for the entirety of their relationship. Why? Both have too much pride to be the person that confesses first. So, instead, they both create elaborate situations to try and get the other to admit their feelings first.
The romance is slow-burn, as their intricate plots have a tendency to fail spectacularly, though there is always a winner that is declared at the end of each one. This anime is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny and despite how frustrating it is to watch the two characters refuse to admit how much they love each other, it has an extremely satisfying conclusion that makes it worth the wait.