13 best romantic anime to watch when you're in your feels

When you're feeling down in the dumps, sometimes all you need is a little love and heartwarming stories to lift your spirits. Watching a good romantic anime will do just that. They will make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. But most importantly, they will remind you of the beauty of love.

Whether you’re longing for a sweet love story, a bittersweet romance, or a lighthearted comedy, we’ve got you covered! Below, we’ve compiled a list of the 13 best romantic anime to watch when you’re in your feels. And of course, we had to start with arguably one of the best romantic anime ever made, Fruits Basket.

Fruits Basket (2001)

Fruits Basket isn't the most lighthearted romantic anime. It has a mix of cheerful and emotional tones. It's an anime adaptation of the popular manga series of the same name by Natsuki Takaya, and centers around Tohru Honda, a kindhearted orphaned high school girl who finds her life forever changed when she meets the mysterious Sohma family.

She discovers that certain members of the Sohma family are cursed and can transform into animals of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by someone of the opposite gender or when they are under stress. Two of those family members are Kyo Sohma and Yuki Sohma, with whom Tohru enters into a complicated love triangle.

After watching this classic romantic anime, we recommend watching its reboot, Fruits Basket (2019). Both are streaming on Crunchyroll.

Your Lie in April (2014)

Be sure to prepare the tissues if you're going to watch Your Lie in April. This beautifully crafted romantic anime will tug at the heartstrings, but it's a worthwhile watch for anyone seeking a deep and impactful story.

The story follows Kousei Arima, a talented pianist who suddenly finds himself unable to play the piano after his mother's death. Struggling with the loss, he withdraws from music and isolates himself from the world. But then he meets Kaori Miyazono, a free-spirited violinist with a secret of her own, who helps him rediscover his love for music and life.

You can watch Your Lie in April on Crunchyroll.

Toradora! (2008)

Okay, let's move on to a more lighthearted romantic anime. Toradora! is a popular romantic comedy anime series based on the Japanese light novel series of the same name by Yuyuko Takemiya. It revolves around the lives of two high school students, Ryuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, who join forces to help each other with their respective crushes.

If you watched your fair share of romance movies or shows, you probably already know how this situation will turn out. As Ryuji and Taiga grow closer, they eventually begin to develop romantic feelings for each other.

Toradora! can be streamed on Crunchyroll or Amazon Prime Video with a subscription, or you can stream it on Tubi for free, but it'll be English dubbed.

Ouran High School Host Club (2006)

Now, let's take it back to another romantic anime classic, Ouran High School Host Club. The show follows Haruhi Fujioka, a new scholarship student at the elite Ouran Academy who often gets mistaken for a boy due to her physical appearance.

One day, Haruhi walks into a music room at the school, not knowing that it is the place where the all-male group, the Host Club, gathers to entertain the female students for money. She accidentally breaks an expensive vase in the room and becomes forced to work as a host to repay her debts. As she builds bonds with the other members of the popular host club, romantic feelings start to develop among the group.

Ouran High School Host Club can be watched on Netflix, Hulu, or Crunchyroll.

Romantic Killer (2022)

Oh, how I wish Netflix would give Romantic Killer a second season! It's a romantic anime series based on the manga written and illustrated by Wataru Momose. The story centers on Anzu Hoshino, a high school girl who is obsessed with only three things: video games, chocolate, and her pet cat, Momohiki.

But that all gets taken away from her when a magical creature named Riri appears out of nowhere, confiscates these things, and forces her into a real-life romantic simulation game to help her experience love.

However, Anzu has zero interest in romance and is 100% determined to resist Riri's attempts to involve her in romantic situations so she can go back to her normal life.

If you'd like to watch this goofy yet heartfelt romantic anime, all you need to do is head on over to Netflix. However, keep in mind that you'll have to have a subscription to the streamer to gain access to Romantic Killer on the platform.

Here are eight more romantic anime that will leave your heart full and your spirits lifted:

• Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You - Netflix
• Lovely Complex - Crunchyroll
• Nana - Hulu
• My Happy Marriage - Netflix
• Maid-sama - Hulu
• Bloom Into You - Hulu
• Rent-A-Girlfriend - Crunchyroll
• Kaguya-sama: Love Is War - Crunchyroll