If you want to get into a romantic mood for Valentine’s Day, here’s a list of 8 romance anime to watch for Valentine’s Day. I tried to select a variety of settings, plot lines, and age ranges.
Lovely Complex
Risa Koizumi is taller than other women. Atsushi Ootani is shorter than other males. Their height makes it difficult for them to find love, and to make matters worse, their instructor and students designate them as a comedy duo. They are tired of being put together because of their height, but when they discover they have a lot in common and encourage one another in their search for love, they establish a friendship that just might bloom into love.
Toradora
Ryuuji Takasu looks like a delinquent, but he is compassionate and enjoys cleaning. Taiga Aisaka is petite and adorable, but she has a fiery disposition, earning her the nickname “Palmtop Tiger” from her classmates. When these two realize they have crushes on each other’s closest friend, they decide to collaborate to help each other get closer to their crushes. Their partnership causes them to learn more about each other and create a relationship that becomes stronger as they interact.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Miyuki Shirogane is the top student at Shuchiin Academy and the student body president. Kaguya Shinomiya is vice president and comes from an affluent family. Both are admired by their colleagues and are considered the ideal pair. They are not a couple despite their affection for each other since whoever confesses first is regarded as the inferior partner. Neither of them wants to be the first to admit their feelings. As a result, their struggle to persuade one another to confess starts.
Fruits Basket (2019)
After her mother is killed in a car accident, Tohru Honda, a young high school student, moves in with her grandfather. However, she leaves as her grandfather begins house improvements. To avoid bothering her friends, Tohru decides to live in a tent in the woods. Tohru discovers Yuki Sohma and his cousin Shigure’s house nearby and moves in after a landslide ruins her tent. Kyo Sohma joins them to live there, and after their first interaction, Tohru learns about the Sohma curse, which states that if they are physically touched by someone of the opposite sex or are in a severe mental condition, they will transform into members of the Chinese Zodiac.
Snow White with the Red Hair
Shirayuki is a herbalist whose bright red hair attracts Tanbarun’s egotistical prince, Raji Shenazard, who wants Shirayuki to be his concubine. Shirayuki flees the nation because she refuses to be his concubine. She encounters Zen Wistalia, the prince of Clarines, a neighboring kingdom, along the way. When Zen bites on a poisoned apple sent by Prince Raji to capture Shirayuki, she uses herbs to cure him. Shirayuki then decides to join Zen at Clarines, where she will begin a new career as a royal court pharmacist.
Horimiya
Kyouko Hori is a popular, attractive, and intelligent student. Izumi Miyamura is a silent loner, considered gloomy by all his peers. A chance encounter leads these two to discover that their personalities and lifestyles outside of school are much different. Hori is too preoccupied with housework and caring for her younger brother to socialize with friends, and Miyamura has tattoos and piercings that make him look like a delinquent. Bonding over their secrets, these two start a friendship that blossoms into love.
Emma: A Victorian Romance
Emma has long accepted her social standing as a retired governess’ maid. William is the eldest son of the rich Jones family, which was only recently admitted to the aristocracy. When he pays a visit to his former governess, he falls madly in love with Emma. His sincere attempts to win her attention and his good personality capture Emma’s heart. However, relationships between social classes is frowned upon in 19th-century England’s refined society. As a result, Emma and William’s relationship is fraught with conflict and difficulty.
Golden Time
Banri Tada suffers from amnesia as a result of a horrible accident. However, after meeting Mitsuo Yanagisawa, he decides to start a new life in law school in Tokyo. But just as Banri is settling into college life, Mitsuo’s childhood friend who is obsessed with him, the beautiful Kouko Kaga, unexpectedly enters Banri’s life, and their chance meeting signals the start of a turbulent romantic relationship.
Check out my ultimate romance anime list for more!
What romance anime to watch for Valentine’s Day would you recommend? Leave a comment below.