1. Fushigi Yuugi
This will be the only anime that is a repeat from my other lists. Fushigi Yuugi is my absolute favorite across all platforms. I named it one of my favorite manga titles and gave it the favorite anime in romance category (I can't go and contradict myself). The anime is a little dated, according to my husband, so if you are keen on animation it might bug you. I watch it for the romance. The story of Fushigi Yuugi is set in a historical fantasy setting in old China. A modern day Japanese girl and her friend accidentally get sucked into the Book of the Four Gods where they meet the warriors of Suzaku and Seiriyu. Even though the anime contains all these different genres, it stands out most for the romaance between the main character and on of the warriors. I can't recommend this anime enough. Tamahome for the win! (This is the only anime on this list with an English dub).
2. Itazura na Kiss
I've had the pleasure of watching the anime, reading the manga and watching all the live action adaptions for this series. The anime was my first dive into the series and it still stays my favorite, with the Taiwanese drama and newest Japanese drama following. It's not a very long, with only 25 episodes. This series is one of those unique shojo anime where you see the main characters throughout a long span of life. We see them first interact in high school, develop a stronger bond in college and then start their love life in a professional setting. Itazura na Kiss covers a lot but it just makes you that more dedicated to the characters.
3. The World is Still Beautiful
This is an anime that doesn't seem to be well known in the anime community. It's Japanese name is Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii. I remember being hesitant about watching it at first because it had very weird themes such as a teenage princess marrying a child king. I gave it a shot though, and I'm so glad I did. It's one of my favorites. With only 12 episodes, it gets a lot done in developing the relationshi between the two characters, especially since they don't start off on the best of terms. The World is Still Beautiful has a fantasy element to the story but it doesn't take away from the romance at all.
4. Kamigami no Asobi
This is probably the only reverse harem anime (an anime with one girl and a bunch of guys liking her at once) that I actually love, all the others being mindless junk. Kamigami no Asobi is about a young human girl who is given the task to teach what life is like for a human to these young gods. Not all of them are fond of her in the beginning as each have their own set of problems but she ends up being helpful to all of them and makes connections with each (one of being more romantic than the others). A lot of these romance harem anime begin with everyone loving the main character. I think what attracted me most to this anime was how real the interactions are between the characters. You don't automatically like and understand one another when you first meet, their needs to be effort put into a relationship whether that's a friendship or a romance.
5. Princess Tutu
This may sound like a childish anime (especially with a name like that), but you don't realize how dark it can be until you start watching it. Princess Tutu has a huge fantasy theme, as it references to itself as a fairy-tale. This is still perfect for younger girls who are starting to get into anime whether it be from friends or parents. The romance is light, but powerful when it is given a spotlight. It even has a magical girl feel as the main characters can transform themselves into magical beings. The female lead is on a mission to gather up all the lost shards missing from her prince's heart. This anime is 38 episodes of love, struggles and values.
Pictures were taken from anime database, myanimelist.net. To see all of my anime history check out my profile from myanimelist.
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