Romance anime lovers are blessed to have a wide variety of options when looking for new content. For those looking to branch out from Japanese animation, donghua, or Chinese anime, is equally worth watching with their compelling stories and characters, which will take the viewers on a ride.
That’s why, for those looking to get introduced to the world of donghua, the following romance titles are an enchanting way to get started with the medium. Here are some of the best romance donghua to get addicted to for the fans of the genre.
Psychic Princess Is Clichéd But Great
There’s nothing wrong with watching a bit of guilty pleasure-cliched love stories if they’re as good as Psychic Princess. In this story, there’s a cold and arrogant prince and a misunderstood misfit princess of another kingdom.
Yunxi has special powers, and that’s why she is often avoided. But things take a surprising turn when she is forced into a marriage with Prince Ye so that peace can prevail between the two kingdoms. Now, Yunxi has to deal with the rudeness of a male lead who is definitely a jerk, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for love.
How to Steal 55 Kisses Is Infuriating
Adding to the arranged marriage trope, there’s another donghua that has the same theme, but it’s set in the modern world, and the aspect is completely different. There’s a pile of misunderstandings between Qiao and Lu Jin, who are in an estranged matrimonial relationship.
An Hao only wishes to remain in the marriage if the couple abides by three rules which are enough to kill all the romance from the air. While viewers may think that it’s a romance story where there’s nothing but love even after a forced union, they couldn’t be more wrong. There are many infuriating moments in this anime where things take a turn for the worst before they get better.
Be My Wife Follows a Strong Female Lead
Chinese animation is pretty straightforward when it comes to titles, especially romances. Be My Wife is a perfect watch for those who love a strong female lead who also happens to be an esteemed assassin in the 21st century. However, she gets stabbed in the back by her lover, with whom she wanted to have a normal life. But before she can proceed to her death, Su Luo is incarnated as a mistreated Fourth Lady of the Su Manor.
Su Luo gets teleported to medieval China, where her character is considered useless until she proves what a great fighter she is. It’s a historical romance where the lady takes all the numbers while a devilishly handsome demonic king is reduced to accompanying Su Luo on her journey. There’s undeniable chemistry between the protagonists, so that’s a plus point.
Spicy Girl Lives Up To Its Name
Shu Xiao has a very strong and frightening aura that only leads her to be cast as a villain. However, the beautiful actress is over the moon when she is offered her first heroine role. But because of her nervousness, she ends up in what looks like a very unfortunate and misunderstood situation with her director, and to make matters worse, a famous producer walks in on them.
Shu Xiao is left with nothing but to strike a deal with the handsome devil, which leads the pair into a comedic push-and-pull of romance and resistance. It’s a highly recommended title for viewers who love a character with male bravado and a strong female who always despise him.
My Cultivator Girlfriend Has Sweet Vibes
Cultivation, or Xianxia, is a common cliché in donghua that is more appreciated and loved than others. It refers to a technique or a concept in which humans can become immortal sages that expand their lifespan as well.
My Cultivator Girlfriend is one of the few rom-coms which broke on the donghua scene a few years ago and is one of the early players in the Chinese romance genre. It follows the story of a guy named Ma Yingxiong, a security guard in a modern cultivation world full of dangers. One day he saves the life of a beautiful cultivator girl but ends up starting his own cultivation practice. Ma lands himself in trouble because of his encounter with the girl, but they can’t deny the heat between them.
The Beauty Blogger Is an Isekai Story
Just like many donghua, The Beauty Blogger is another successful example of a romance drama with isekai elements. Li Zi is a famous beauty blogger who gets transported, but not to ancient China; rather, she’s still in the modern world, but her soul is stuck inside a VR game. The setting and theme of the simulation are historical, so that’s why many viewers would regard it as a typical isekai donghua, but the story is quite unique from the rest.
The anime has several enjoyable elements, including a budding reverse harem aspect and several adventure plots. The romance between the 7th Prince and Li Zi is undeniably adorable and definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of the show.
Heaven’s Official Blessing Is a Classic
This is one of the more different titles on the list that deals with a different kind of romance, and it’s one of the most popular romance donghua as well. The Crown Prince of the Xian Le kingdom was one of the most loved people, and that’s why he ascended Heaven’s throne at a very young age. However, bad luck befell the darling prince, and he was banished to the mortal realm.
After another failed attempt, Xie Lian finally ascended the throne for the third time but was unable to make everyone in all three realms take him seriously. Alone in his conquest, Xie Lian encounters a very unfamiliar force, a ghost king, one of the Four Calamities, who takes a liking to the young prince. It would seem that all hell would break loose when Heaven’s prince and the king of ghosts cross paths, but in a strange turn of events, love starts to blossom between them.