Highlights
- Kimi Ni Todoke is a sweet romance anime with a focus on friendships, perfect for genre fans.
- 3D Kanojo Real Girl and Say I Love You share similar themes of social opposites in love.
- My Happy Marriage and Tomo-Chan Is A Girl offer unique takes on romance with darker and humorous twists.
Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me To You is a romance anime that ran between 2010 and 2011, following Sawako and her romance with Kazehaya. After a pretty lengthy hiatus, a third season to the story is scheduled to release on August 1st.
Kimi Ni Todoke is one of those cozy romance shows that has a heavy focus on sweetness and friendships. It’s honestly a great watch for any fan of the genre. While waiting for a third season, there are also a bunch of shows like Kimi Ni Todoke that fans can sink their teeth into.
8 3D Kanojo Real Girl
A Similar Story That Places Two People From Opposite Social Ends In A Relationship
Hikari is an outcast who believes that the world of 2D is much easier to deal with than real life. Iroha, on the other hand, is an outcast who is popular with guys but is struggling to find fulfillment.
The “shy guy dates outgoing girl” trope is not a new one, but with each iteration of such a story, the chemistry and character relationships are what make them memorable. The story of 3D Kanojo Real Girl is similar to Kimi Ni Todoke in that it puts two people from opposite social ends into a relationship, in which each side has to grow in some way to make the relationship work.
7 Say I Love You
The Popular Guy Goes For The Timid Girl
The truth of every relationship is that each party to it is somewhat drawn into the other person’s world. This was the case with Mei Tachibana when she got into a relationship with popular student, Yamato Kurosawa. Mei’s past carried with it quite a bit of pain, and adjusting to her new life was no easy feat.
Mei and Sawako’s characters are quite similar in that both are incredibly nice and struggle with being able to truly express themselves to the ones they love.
6 My Happy Marriage
Miho Is An Unsure Protagonist With An Ice-Cool Husband To-Be
My Happy Marriage is one of the most recent of the shows on this list, airing in 2023. It follows the story of Miyo, who is suffering a life of misery at the hands of her family and is forced to marry the reclusive Kiyoka Kudou, who is famed for his nasty behavior.
My Happy Marriage is more or less representative of the title and is a beautiful show to watch. Miyo and Sawako share similar traits; however, Miyo’s suffering is a lot darker. Those who like a little tragedy with their romance are certain to enjoy what My Happy Romance brings to the table.
5 Tomo-Chan Is A Girl
A Relationship Surrounded By Special Friends
Tomo Aizawa and Junichirou “Jun” Kubota are best friends who are inseparable. However, Tomo has a secret — she’s in love with Kubota. Unfortunately, she’s such a tomboy that he doesn’t see her as a girl.
Tomo-Chan features a lot more humor than Kimi ni Todoke, and there are a lot of gags, especially with the dim-witted Carol, who brings a lot of light-heartedness to the show. It’s more confident and aggressive than Kimi ni Todoke, too, but at its heart, this is still a sweet romance.
4 My Love Story!!
A Protagonist Who Doesn’t Believe They Can Be Desired By Anyone
My Love Story!! does something different in that it presents a protagonist that can in no way be considered conventionally handsome and pairs him with the positively cute Rinko. Takeo, who cannot believe someone so cute is into him, assumes she is after his much more handsome best friend, Makoto.
My Love Story!! explores some of the same themes as Kimi Ni Todoke, like friendship and a character who cannot see the good in themselves, even though it is painfully obvious to everyone else.
3 Skip And Loafer
A Study On Wholesome Friendships
Country girl Mitsumi moves to Tokyo for the first time to go to school. There, she meets Sousuke, a handsome boy who has a very laid-back attitude. When she goes to school, her earnest and honest nature gains her quite a few friends.
Skip and Loafer is a show that is made for easy watching. The character chemistry is great, and the emotional beats hit when necessary. It explores the emotional scars the past can leave and, like Kimi Ni Todoke, showcases the inner turmoil that plagues everyone, no matter how popular they are.
2 Horimiya
Two People With Other Sides Show Their True Colors To Each Other
Hori and Miyamura are two characters that would normally not get along on paper, as the former is an outgoing girl with perfect grades, while the latter is a recluse who keeps to himself and never shows off any skin.
Hori discovers Miyamura’s secret, and the two begin a relationship. While romance is the main crux of Horimiya, there is a lot of time for some really great friendships between some of the other characters, too. Hori and Miyamura are able to be their true selves to one another, and this is perhaps the best part of the anime.
1 Fruits Basket
Tooru And Sawako Are Almost The Same Person
Fruits Basket is a classic romance anime that many long-time anime watchers are familiar with. It returned with a reboot in 2019, marking one of the rare occasions where the newer version of an anime trumped the older one.
Tooru and Sawako are very similar, although Tooru definitely has a much rougher backstory. As she integrates with the mysterious Souma family, fans get to see how she grows as a person, influencing the ones around her with her kindness.
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