Top list of 15 best romantic anime movies and series with highlighting storylines

Peter Parker
Updated on 2022-01-13
Get to see the best romance anime movies and series with brief storyline, cast and crew to stay hooked with them for the longest time.

To talk about romance it is explicitly implied that neither it starts nor ends and who else would be better than you to know how it evolves around two souls if you have already been through the phenomenal platonic passions of love in your lifetime. However, if you are not fortunate enough to experience the marvelous magic of love in your life yet then you don't have to wait longer to feel the chemistry and biology of love with its pain, passion, and perseverance in the 15 best romance anime movies and series of all time. When the best romance anime world is knocking on your door then you just can not have any other option but to open it. So, here, you must open your arms to welcome the best romance anime world with the most cordial and comfy cuddles.

List of 15 best romance anime movies and series with short storyline, cast and crew info 

1. Movie: Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Produced by: Rick Dempsey, Ned Lott, Hayao Miyazaki, and others.

Directed by: Yoshifumi Kondô

Cast: Yoko Honna, Issey Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, and others.

Storyline: 

When a middle school Japanese girl who aspired to be a writer went to a library to select her books, she was surprised to notice that all the books she had chosen were already checked by the same boy. Gradually she came across the same boy who was very ambitious and wanted to become a violin maker like his grandfather since his grandfather runs a violin shop. Now to unfold the petals of their romance you have to be with them by watching this one of the best romance anime movies ever.

2. Movie: Your Name (2017)

Produced by: Yoshihiro Furusawa, Tatsuro Hatanaka, Minami Ichikawa

Directed by: Makoto Shinkai

Cast: Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryô Narita, and others.

Storyline:

Mitsuha, who is a high school girl, is the daughter of a mayor of a small town in a mountain. This straightforward girl doesn't have any interest in his father electric campaign and instead she wanted to leave her hometown to try her luck in Tokyo where Taki the hero of the story works in a restaurant wants to be an artist and every night he had a weird dream of becoming a high school girl in a small mountain town. Their romance has taken this story to the top list of best romance anime on Netflix. Now it's your turn to be with them forever.

3. Movie: 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)

Produced by: Jin Ho Chung, Joey Goubeaud, Noritaka Kawaguchi, and others.

Directed by: Makoto Shinkai

Cast: Kenji Mizuhashi, Yoshimi Kondou, Satomi Hanamura, and others.

Storyline:

Takashi and Akari are school friends and the close bond developed during their school time. However, their relationship started facing a rollercoaster ride when Akari shifted to another city due to her parents ' occupation. Their relationship was tested by time and distance and when Takaki needed to move to another place and he wanted to see Akari for the last time. I know that you want to continue and to carry on you have to see this best romance anime on Netflix.

4. Movie: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2007) 

Produced by: Jennifer Fairweather, Shin'ichirô Inoue, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, and others.

Directed by: Mamoru Hosoda

Cast: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, and others.

Storyline:

Makoto, who is a high school girl, has a unique power of time travel and she wants to use this power only for her good and to protect her relationship with her closest friends. This story would make you witness a very unpredictable high and lows journey in handling relationships. So, without eroding your curiosity you better go with the flow of this best romance anime on Netflix.

5. Movie: The Wind Rises (2014) 

Produced by: Naoya Fujimaki, Ryoichi Fukuyama, Kôji Hoshino

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, and others.

Storyline:

Jiro, who always wanted to be an airplane designer, joined a Japanese engineering company and became one of the best airplane designers. The story evolved through different historical events and it took a turn when Jiro fell in love with Nahoko and his bond with his colleagues Honjo is also the attraction of the story. Now to get the best interpretation of the story you must watch this best romance anime on Crunchyroll.

6. Movie: Only Yesterday (2016) 

Produced by: Toru Hara, Ritsuo Isobe, Hayao Miyazaki, and others.

Directed by: Isao Takahata

Cast: Miki Imai, Toshirô Yanagiba, Yoko Honna, and others.

Storyline:

Takeo, a single girl who lived in Tokyo throughout her life decided to visit her relatives in the countryside and there she got into her memories of her childhood when she used to be baffled by maths and boys. She also remembers her first likings and romance. The question of the accomplishment of her childhood dreams arose when she met a young handsome farmer named Toshio. This saga has been considered to be one of the best romance anime movies of all time. Now turn your pass time to be the best one with this everyone's favorite movie.

7. Movie: Weathering with You (2020)

Produced by: Yoshihiro Furusawa, Minami Ichikawa, Kôichirô Itô, and others.

Directed by: Makoto Shinkai

Storyline: 

A high school boy named Hodaka runs away to Tokyo where he was spending alone time with a writing job in a bizarre occult magazine. The love story blooms when he comes across a girl named Hina who has a unique ability to control climate. Now, if it sounds compelling then instead of compromising with your compulsion you better watch this best romance anime on Crunchyroll.

8. Movie: Clannad (2007) 

Produced by: Maya Fujino, Naohiro Futono, Yôko Hatta, and others.

Directed by: Tatsuya Ishihara, Noriyuki Kitanohara, Taichi Ishidate, and others.

Cast: Yûichi Nakamura, David Matranga, Mai Nakahara, and others.

Storyline:

Okazaki Tomoya, a high school boy who doesn't enjoy his school at all, always had a nightmare of vacant earth where he is the only one left to live with the sheer consequence. Eventually, he meets a girl from school named  Furukawa Nagisa who was repeating her year in the school. The two of them have become friends very soon but to know their legendary romance evolving in the story you would come to know why his nightmare was more than a simple dream. If you can not wait to watch this one of the best romance anime movies then watch it now to quench your thirst.

9. Series: Maid-Sama (2010)

Produced by: David Del Rio, Tomohiro Fujita, John Ledford, and others.

Directed by: Hiroaki Sakurai, Yoshinobu Tokumoto, Masato Jinbo, and others.

Cast: Monica Rial, David Matranga, David Matranga, and others.

Storyline:

Seika is a high school that has recently become a co-ed school where girl students are the minority but Misaki Ayuzawa who has become a very strict precedent of the school didn't tolerate any kind of nonsense and most of the time she has been surrounded by other boys. Apart from her school life, she has a maid job in a cafe and that was discovered by the male protagonist of the story named Takumi Usui. So, to explore teenage romance with all types of dimensions, nothing would be great but this best romance anime series.

10. Series: Kaguya-Sama: Love is War (2019- Current)

Produced by: Hiroo Maruyama, Hiraku Funakoshi, Tatsuya Ishikawa, and others.

Directed by: Mamoru Hatakeyama, Tarô Kubo, Yujiro Abe, and others.

Cast: Aoi Koga, Makoto Furukawa, Konomi Kohara, and others.

Storyline:

This story starts in the Shuchiin Academy, which is a place where all the rich, successful, and scholar students have made their place by their talents. Miyuki Shirogane who is the male protagonist of the story has been selected as the President of the student council and on the other hand, Kaguya Shinomiya who is the female protagonist has been chosen as the vice president of the council. Even though both of them are very much into each other, it has become a big deal for them to make the first move. So, to know who made it first or what tricks they do to each other to make each other confess their love, you just can not afford to miss this series of the best romance anime series list.

11. Series: Lovely Complex (2007)

Produced by: Munahisa Higuchi and Hiromi Seki

Directed by: Kônosuke Uda

Cast: Akemi Okamura, Saori Higashi, Kazuko Kojima, and others.

Storyline:

Risa being a girl is a little taller than the average girl's height and on the contrary, being a boy Otani is a little shorter than the average height of boys. They always laugh together but Otani gets shocked to know that Risa has feelings for him. And for the rest of the love angles, I am leaving it up to you to unfold in your offline watch of this best romance anime on Crunchyroll.

12. Series: Maison Ikkoku(1986-1988)

Produced by: Makoto Kubo, Yôko Matsushita, Shigekazu Ochiai, and others.

Directed by: Naoyuki Yoshinaga, Takashi Annô, Kazuo Yamazaki, and others.

Cast: Kazuyo Aoki, Shigeru Chiba, Issei Futamata, and others.

Storyline:

A college student Yusaku Godai fell in love with his landlady named Kyoko Otonashi who is also attracted to him but hesitates to express her feelings because she recently lost her first husband. Now to dig down the story of their romance and how Yusaku would win Kyoko's heart you have to experience both of them in this best romance anime.

13. Series: Toradora! (2008-2011)

Produced by: Chiyoko Hirowatari, Shin'ichi Ikeda, Muneyuki Kanbe, and others.

Directed by: Tatsuyuki Nagai, Katsushi Sakurabi, Tôru Ishida, and others.

Cast: Rie Kugimiya, Junji Majima, Yui Horie, and others.

Storyline:

A decent boy named Ryuji Takasul lived with his mother in a plunging house and he is also cursed with his father's bad look and that's why people try to avoid him. On the other hand, being a self-centered girl Taiga Aisaka started living in an apartment next to Ryuji's house. Since she had no idea how to tackle her life, the boy helped her in every possible way as her dog. Here the love story begins and how it has made its mark in the best romance anime list, that you have to find out on your own.

14. Series: Nodame Cantabile (2007)

Produced by: Mitsuhiro Matsuo, 

Directed by: Kenichi Kasai

Cast: Laura Bailey, Bob Buchholz, Joe Cappelletti, and others.

Storyline:

Chiaki, who is a musician and has the ambition to show his talent to the elite class of the society, is very cynical and critical about his performance and others as well. His life and thoughts get completely changed when he meets the talented piano player Nodame. To roam around in their romance, you have to explore this best romance anime in your romantic moments.

15. Series: Fruit Basket (2019-Current)

Produced by: Shinryo Akima, Z. Charles Bolton, Justin Cook, and others.

Directed by: Yoshihide Ibata, Takatoshi Suzuki, Yoshihiro Nishio, and others.

Cast: Laura Bailey, Laura Bailey, Nobunaga Shimazaki and others.

Storyline:

A high school girl Tohru Honda who is 16 years old has faced a huge tragedy in her family and that transfers her life in a tent that is formed in a private land belonging to the mysterious Souma clan. Soumas have a secret of being converted into zodiac animals when they are hugged by the opposite sex. Now to unravel every single secret of this saga you have to stay with this best anime romance till the end.

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FAQs related to the best romance anime

1. What is a romance called in the anime world?

The term, "Sojo anime" is specifically used to refer to the romance anime genre. On the other hand, "Shonen", which is usually used to specify different modes and formats of romance anime, has not been used very often in Sojo titles.

2. What is romance anime all about?

It is quite obvious that any romance anime has evolved around a lovey-dovey storyline full of romance, attraction, and ups and downs of emotions. But most of the time to break the conventional sentiment of romance and love relationship, the creators of the romance anime have introduced lots of drama and comedy in the storyline and added a dynamic dimension to their creation to spice up the content and widen up the range of its audience.

3. Why are anime romance movies and series so popular?

The main reason behind the popularity of the romance anime genre is that each character evokes real feelings and emotions through their characterization. Even if the visuals of these contents are very artificially designed and they belong to your fantasy more than your real world, the projection of their feelings and sentiments would make you resonate with them in every possible way to their anime character. While watching them on the screen you would probably forget that they belong to the anime world, unlike your realm. You will laugh, cry and even feel anger while traveling with them on their romantic journey.

So, I know you are absolutely on your toes to raise the toast to your best romance anime list that you can easily enjoy by adding them in your offline watch library while using KeepStreams for Funimation or KeepStreams for Crunchyroll according to your preferences and convenience. From the best romance anime movies to the best romance anime series, you have the full palate of content to pick the promising one of your niches. but before going for any particular one you better experience the diversity of the romance anime world by watching all of the above-mentioned content in your comfort corner. Take your baby steps to the world of romance and passion of the anime era and get old as well as bold with them while going through the most romantic journey of your life.