Top 35 best romance anime movies of all time: 2024 update

May 2024 · 20 minute read

Romantic anime movies are irrefutably popular among movie lovers. These films explore diverse topics, from love, heartbreaks, and conflicts to vengeance. The 35 best romance anime movies discussed below have catchy stories that will linger on your mind for a very long time.

Anime romance movies get more mysterious when producers combine them with musical, action, psychological thrillers, science fiction, and other film genres. As a result, romance anime movies' fanbase keeps skyrocketing.

The top 35 best romantic anime movies of all time

Anime movies about romance have age ratings. Therefore, ensure the film is suitable for general family viewing (rated G) before watching it around kids. Only teens and adults are allowed to watch rated PG films. Below are popular romance anime movies to watch:

35. Suzume (2022)

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The Suzume anime film might not be all about romance, but it has a beautiful storyline altogether. Japan stands on the brink of disaster when the skies turn red and the planet trembles. A teenage girl named Suzume notices supernatural forces other people cannot and sets out to save her country. She is determined to close the mysterious doors that are spreading chaos countrywide.

34. Fireworks (2017)

The Fireworks anime movie has a Scifi-tinged story of young love and teenage turmoil. Norimichi and Yusuke are infatuated with classmate Nazuna. However, she likes Norimichi and requests him to help her run away from home. After the plans fail, Norimichi discovers a magical ball that can manipulate time and give them a second chance, but each reset triggers new complications.

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33. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2013)

Anime movie Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is about a group of friends who grow apart after a tragic accident claims one of them. Years later, the dead girl appears to her friends to ask for help in crossing over to the afterlife.

Does Anohana have romance?

Anohana involves romance between friends. The shy young girl who dies in the tragic accident gets caught in the middle of a love triangle when she reappears to her friends who are still alive. the movie has more complex circumstances and supernatural themes.

32. Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop (2021)

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The Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is about romance between teens with communication issues. The boy is shy, loves music, and can only express himself through haiku poems. Meanwhile, the girl he likes is bubbly but self-conscious. On top of that, she wears a mask and loves watching videos online.

31. A Whisker Away (2020)

Those who love cheesy drama and fantasy should watch A Whisker Away. Miyo Sasaki transforms into a cat to gain her crush's attention, classmate Kento Hinode. However, the line between her human appearance and animal transformation ultimately clouds.

30. Ride Your Wave (2019)

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You will love Ride Your Wave. It has been among the top romance anime movies since 2019. Hinako falls in love with firefighter Minato shortly after moving to a small seaside town to study Marine Biology. A fire breaks out in her apartment and kills Minato while trying to save her. The surf-loving college student finds it hard to revive her purpose in life without her boyfriend.

29. Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020)

Anime film Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is based on a 1984 Japanese short story by author Seiko Tanabe. Tsuneo is a university student, while Josee is a young girl who rarely leaves the house by herself because she cannot walk. They meet when her grandmother takes her out for an evening walk.

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28. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)

Anime The Place Promised in Our Early Days is among beautiful, sad romance anime movies. Its story takes place in the 1996 alternate postwar period when Japan was divided.

Hiroki and Takuya fall in love with Sayuri amid an ongoing cataclysmic war. When she falls into a coma, they can only help her by dealing with something from their past.

27. Doukyusei: Classmates (2016)

Animated film Doukyusei: Classmates is an oddly insightful, relatable, and emotionally powerful anime with a unique charm. At an all-boys high school, second-year classmates Licht Sajo and Hikaru Kusakabe become inseparable after one fateful day in choir practice.

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Licht Sajo is an honor student, while Hikaru Kusakabe plays in a rock band. Although their lives and personalities are total opposites, they grow closer to each other and eventually fall in love.

26. I've Always Liked You (2016)

Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita: Kokuhaku Jikkō Iinkai is also known by its English title, I've Always Liked You. It is a tender and endearing Japanese animated youth romance film.

The anime explores the complexities of teenage romance with authenticity and sensitivity. A girl finally confesses her love but retracts it as a joke when her love interest does not reciprocate her feelings. The film's sequel is The Moment You Fall in Love (2016).

25. Patema Inverted (2013)

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The Patema Inverted is one of those good romance anime movies for family viewing. A young girl from a civilization living in underground tunnels finds herself trapped in an inverted world. Because of this, Patema and Age team up to investigate why gravity is reversed in the tunnels. They also plan to escape and return home.

24. The Princess and the Pilot (2011)

The Princess and the Pilot is among the cute romance anime movies you should watch this year. Pilot Charles Kareno falls in love with Princess Fana Del Moral when he is hired to work for the royal family. Despite being advised not to, Kareno bonds with a princess when escorting her overseas to reunite her with her future husband.

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23. The Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017)

This is a vibrant animated movie. The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl is about a college sophomore girl's adventures on a strange night in Kyoto. What starts like a normal night for a young girl drinking in a bar turns into a crazy roller coaster of unlikely events. Ultimately, a hapless college student who wants to confess his love to her also encounters surreal encounters with the local nightlife.

22. Kaguya-sama: Love is War (2019)

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Anime Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is about high school student council leaders at Shuchiin Academy. Student Council President Miyuki Shirogane and Vice President Kaguya Shinomiya are a perfect match. They keep their crush on one another a secret because they are too proud to confess their love and believe whoever does so first will lose.

21. Millennium Actress (2002)

The Millennium Actress anime centers on TV presenter Setsuko Hara and his cameraman, Hideko Takamine, investigating the life of a retired actress to create a documentary. As the actress tells them her life, the borderline between cinema and reality gradually becomes blurred.

20. Voices of A Distant Star (2002)

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The Voices of A Distant Star is a unique science fiction romantic film. The movie is set in the year 2046. People select Mikako Nagamine and other soldiers to fight aliens invading the Earth.

She promises Noboru Terao that they will keep in touch through emails. However, it becomes difficult for them to communicate. The distance between the spacecraft and Earth slows down the time mail takes to reach the other person.

19. Tamako Love Story (2014)

Viewers of Tamako Love Story are usually delighted with this interesting romantic comedy anime. Mochizo Oji confesses his feelings to his rival, Tamako, before leaving for college. Will love help them overcome their misunderstandings and awkwardness?

18. Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light (2011)

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Anime Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light is a supernatural romantic anime movie. Hotaru falls in love with a masked forest spirit called Gin. The problem is that Gin would vanish if a human touched him. The film has the worst and most beautiful long-distance relationship story you will ever watch.

17. Howl’s Moving Castle (2005)

The Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the most romantic anime movies ever. The film is an example of a perfect romance anime movie created by brilliant minds.

The unusual love story between Sophia and Howl the Wizard is fascinating. Howl is determined to break a curse that makes Sophia age prematurely. The curse was cast upon her by an evil witch.

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16. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018)

Anime I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is among captivating, sad romance anime movies. An aloof high school boy visits his classmate, Sakura Yamauchi, at the hospital. He finds her secret diary while sitting in the waiting room.

The diary reveals Sakura is suffering from a fatal pancreatic disease and a list of things she wants to experience before she dies. Haruki Shiga helps her fulfill her death wishes and learns the importance of friendship.

15. Whisper of the Heart (1995)

The Whisper of the Heart is a story of a young girl falling in love and learning to believe in herself. Shizuku Tsukishima is about to complete her junior high school studies and dreams of becoming a writer because she loves books.

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She meets a young, ambitious guy named Senji. Shizuku finds him charming and irritating. When Senji takes her to his grandfather's antique shop, one of the statues in the store inspires Shizuku to write a story about a cat-shaped sculpture coming to life.

14. Your Name (2017)

The director of Your Name is the creative mind behind successful films like 5 Centimeters per Second and Voices of a Distant Star. The movie tells the story of two young souls exploring the themes of fate and time.

High school students Taki and Mitsuha are strangers living different lives. Their lives take a different turn when they switch bodies. The peculiar occurrence becomes a norm they must learn how to cope with.

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With time, Taki and Mitsuha bond through messages, notes, and imprints. They look for each other but always seem torn apart by distance and a supernatural force beyond them. Will their fate bring them together or keep them apart forever?

13. The Garden of Words (2013)

This is one of the world's most addictive sad romance anime movies. The film tells the story of a teenager Takao Azuki, who dreams of becoming a shoemaker. However, nobody seems to understand his ambition until he meets a girl who believes in him.

The twist in The Garden of Words is that the girl wants to help Takao achieve his dream but must overcome internal predicaments that keep her from getting close to anyone.

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12. 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)

The 5 Centimeters per Second film is one of the most incredible romance anime movies of all time. The film is about two friends who are determined to reunite after fate separates them.

Akari and Takaki's families moved to different locations after completing elementary studies. The two never thought they would ever meet again. One day, Takaki embarks on a journey to visit his old friend.

11. A Silent Voice (2017)

Viewers of A Silent Voice admit it is one of the most poignant shoujo anime movies of all time. The film tells an emotional story about Shoya Ishida (a school bully) and Shoko Nishimiya (a beautiful young girl with a hearing disability).

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Ishida bullies Ishida when her parents transfer her to his school. Ishida mistreats her because of her hearing problem. Years later, tables turn, and Ishida becomes the victim. The film shows adolescents' challenges in a different style compared to conventional coming-of-age films.

10. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2007)

This is an excellent romance anime movie for those starting to watch films in this genre. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time explores the continually changing nature of personal relationships.

A young schoolgirl named Makoto Konno discovers her ability to traverse time and space. She, therefore, uses her power to preserve the friendships she shares with those closest to her.

9. From Up on Poppy Hill (2013)

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The 2013 From Up on Poppy Hill film is set in Yokohama in 1963. The film is about a budding romance between Shun and Umi. These high school students are caught up in changing times after World War II.

Japan prepares to host the Olympics at a time when the country’s young generation struggles to find optimism and shake off the country’s troubled history.

As Umi and Shun work to save a decrepit clubhouse from getting demolished, their romance begins to blossom. However, in an unexpected twist, a secret from their past threatens to pull them apart forever.

8. The Anthem of the Heart (2015)

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This 2015 anime, The Anthem of the Heart, was initially titled The Heart Wants to Shout. The film is set in Chichibu, and the story revolves around a young, conflicted girl named Jun Naruse.

Jun wishes to express her feelings, but her words always hurt others. One day, she encounters a fairy who offers to help her overcome the problem by sealing Jun's words. The story jumps several years ahead when Jun meets a friend who is passionate about music.

7. The Wind Rises (2014)

This 2014 animated film, The Wind Rises, chronicles Jiro's life and the historical events that shaped it, e.g., the tuberculosis epidemic, the Great Depression, and the Great Kanto Earthquake. With time, Jiro falls in love with a girl named Nahoko. However, since he is not easily discouraged, the boy joins an engineering firm and becomes one of the world's most accomplished airplane designers.

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6. Summer Wars (2010)

The Summer Wars is about a young math prodigy named Kanji. His crush, Natsuki, hires him to act as her boyfriend. Kanji later receives a riddle on his phone that sets off a chain of events threatening a massive virtual world called Oz.

5. Only Yesterday (2016)

The 2016 animated film, Only Yesterday, is one of the best anime romance movies of all time. It has a rich humor and evokes a string of emotions in the viewer. The original Japanese version was released in 1991, while the English version came out in 2016.

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Takeo is a single lady living in Tokyo. She visits her relatives in the countryside to relive the memories of her younger years. The lady remembers the frustrations of mathematics and boys, the onset of puberty, and her first stirrings of romance.

She meets a young and handsome farmer named Toshio. Her encounter with him makes Takeo question whether she has accomplished her childhood dreams. It also brings back some of her forgotten longings.

4. The Cat Returns (2002)

This 2002 animated film, The Cat Returns, tells the story of Haru, a young schoolgirl who saves a cat on her way to school. She later learns that the cat is extraordinary when it introduces her to a kingdom of cats.

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Haru explores the fascinating world of cats she never knew existed. The English version of this top romance anime included voices from Andy Richter, Anne Hathaway, and Elliott Gould.

3. Castle in the Sky (1989)

The Castle in the Skyis about a boy and a girl who flew down from the sky. When Sheeta is being chased by government agents, army soldiers, and pirates, a boy accompanies her on a quest to establish her identity in a mysterious floating castle.

The movie might not be as famous as some of the best romance anime movies, but it still provides a fantastic viewing experience.

2. Weathering with You (2020)

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The Weathering with You film is also among the top fiction-romance anime movies. Hodaka runs away to Tokyo during the summer of his first year in college and goes broke.

He spends several lonely days before landing a job as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. The city falls under the spell of non-stop rain. Hodaka meets Hina, a girl who can stop rain and clear gloomy skies.

1. Clannad (2007)

The Clannad anime tells the story of a young boy who only attends school as a habit and is continually haunted by nightmares of an empty world. One of the dreams makes him half-conscious.

Okazaki Tomoya meets Furukawa Nagisa on his way to school. They become close friends because she follows him to school daily. As a result, Tomoya feels happy about his life and assumes his nightmares are mere dreams.

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Is there any good romance anime?

Netflix, Box Office, Hulu, YouTube, and other movie streaming sites have cool romance animated movies. Below are the top 35 best romance anime movies of all time you can watch this year:

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What is the best anime love story movie?

Romantic movies connect viewers to "happy hormones" and remind them of positive relationship memories. If you want to experience these emotions while watching movies, the following ten anime romance movies are recommended for you:

What are the best romance anime movies?

Below are the 15 best romance anime movies that focus on passion, emotion, and challenges people face as they fall in love:

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What is the #1 romcom anime of all time?

Kaguya-sama: Love is War (2019) is the best anime movie about romance. Many love how the film mixes a beautiful love story with mystery and fiction.

Which romance anime is the best for newcomers to start with?

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2013) is a classic rom-com series for introducing loved ones to the anime genre. The story is about a girl who dies in an accident and later reappears to her friends, requesting them to help her cross to the afterlife. The story becomes more interesting when she is caught in a love triangle.

Is “Suzume” a romance movie?

Suzume (2022) wasn't meant to be a love story but has some romance. The anime is about a protagonist seeking to "close the doors" causing disasters in her country. Nonetheless, Suzume and Souta go their separate ways in the end, even though they are still in love with each other. The ending is intentionally open-ended, allowing viewers to draw conclusions about the story.

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Where can I legally watch romance anime movies?

Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, Box Office, and Netflix are the go-to anime-watching sites for most fans.

You are missing out on some of the best storylines if you have not yet watched any of the romance anime movies listed in this article. These movies will pull every string of your heart. They present various shades of love in the best way possible and change the viewers' perception of love for the better.

Legit.ng also shared a detailed list of the best action anime movies to watch with loved ones. They are the coolest films for binge-watching over the weekend.

Action anime films are entertaining because computers make cartoons do unique and mysterious stunts at a lower cost and in less time.

Source: Legit.ng

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