12+ Best Romance Anime Movies To Watch

From I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018) to Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), here are 12+ Best Romance Anime Movies To Watch.

Romance is one of the most popular movie genres, with diverse cultural influences. At the same time, anime has evolved into a perfect kind of entertainment for Generation Z. And when these two forces collide, the result is some of the most beautiful, compelling, and sad stories ever recounted. Love and love relationships are increasingly popular plot devices in anime. And, thanks to the progress of anime over the last few decades, we now have fantastic love stories that are more profound than any live-action film.

Renowned anime filmmaker Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering With You) has been truly distinct in the way he handled love and relationships. He used sci-fi and supernatural aspects to delve deeply into the sensations of love.

12. Tamako Love Story

The end of Mochizou Ooji’s third and final school year approaches as the seasons change. He wishes to attend a university in Tokyo but does so at the expense of leaving behind his loved ones, especially his childhood crush, Tamako Kitashirakawa. Tamako, who has no plans for the future, will stay in town to work at her family’s little mochi shop.

As Mochizou’s departure date approaches, the reticent young man must summon the courage to reveal his affections to Tamako before it’s too late—or his love will go undetected forever.

11. Voices of A Distant Star

It is the year 2046, Noboru Terao and Mikako Nagamine are close friends who will soon be graduating junior high school. However, following an extraterrestrial attack on humanity, Mikako is chosen for a UN military space expedition to retaliate against the aliens. Separated, Noboru and Mikako try to communicate by sending emails to each other using their cell phones. However, as the mission travels further away from Earth, the time it takes to broadcast and receive messages climbs significantly.

Voices of A Distant Star is about a couple’s relationship as they struggle to stay connected despite the growing distance between them.

10. The Wind Rises

Despite the fact that his nearsightedness precludes him from ever becoming a pilot, Jirou Horikoshi leaves his village to study aeronautical engineering at Tokyo Imperial University for one simple reason: to design and build planes like his hero, Italian aircraft pioneer Giovanni Battista Caproni. His arrival in the capital coincides with the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, during which he saves a maid serving the family of a young girl named Naoko Satomi; this disastrous event marks the beginning of more than two decades of social unrest and malaise that eventually leads to Japan’s surrender in World War II.

The years leading up to the development of Jirou’s famed Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter aircraft will put every fiber of his existence to the test. His numerous journeys and life experiences only serve to propel him forward, even as he recognizes both the role of his creations in the war and the brutal reality of his personal existence. As time passes, he is forced to confront an impossible question: at what cost will he pursue his lovely dream?

9. 5 Centimeters Per Second

What happens when two individuals fall in love but aren’t destined to be together? Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara were childhood friends who were torn apart by events beyond their control. They promise to keep in touch, and while the passage of time extends the gap between them, the chain of memories stays ever-present.

5 Centimeters Per Second is a romance drama about the monotonous and brutal reality of long-distance relationships. Takaki and Akari, trapped in the past and unable to create new memories, cling to the hope of seeing each other again. They go about their daily lives half-heartedly, harming both themselves and those around them.

8. Hello World

The year is 2027, and Kyoto has seen significant technological improvement. Naomi Katagaki, a socially awkward and introverted lad with a love of books, and Ruri Ichigyou, a girl with a cold personality who is often blunt with others but shares his love of reading, reside in the city. Despite their shared hobbies, Naomi is hesitant to approach Ruri due to her unpleasant demeanor.

When Naomi goes for a walk one day, a crimson aurora pierces the sky for a brief instant before disappearing. Soon after, he encounters a three-legged crow and a mysterious hooded guy who exposes himself to be Naomi from the future, revealing that he has come to change an impending sad incident that occurs to Ruri shortly after they begin dating. Taking his comments with a grain of salt as first, present-day Naomi follows his future self’s advice and begins approaching Ruri, determined to save her.

Hello World focuses on the present Naomi alongside himself from 10 years into the future. With the help of his future self, Naomi begins his preparations to save Ruri. Will he be able to change the future?

7. A Whisker Away

Miyo Sasaki is an active high school student from a shattered home that includes her insecure father and an overly engaged stepmother, whose attempts to connect with Miyo come across as irritating. She can’t stop herself from pressing her unconventional displays of love on her crush, seeing Kento Hinode as a haven from all her own troubles.

While Miyo is unable to attract Kento’s attention herself, she is successful in connecting with him as a white cat, affectionately dubbed “Tarou” by Kento. But Miyo quickly discovers that she can’t help Kento with the myriad difficulties she overhears in her cat shape and is now forced to make a difficult decision. Will she keep her cat-to-cat friendship with him, or will she expose her identity and risk everything they have to help him as her human self?

6. Howl’s Moving Castle

That chaotic piece of construction, hissing steam and groaning joints, smoke streaming from it as it moves on its own… That castle is home to the wonderful wizard Howl, who is famed in Sophie Hatter’s small town for both his magical power and for being a womanizer. Sophie, the homely daughter of a hatmaker, has little hope for the future and is willing to work hard in the business.

Sophie’s tranquil existence, however, takes a thrilling turn when she becomes entangled in a terrible predicament and the mysterious wizard emerges to rescue her. Unfortunately, despite the brief encounter, the vain and angry Witch of the Waste—in a fit of jealousy sparked by a previous disagreement with Howl—casts a curse on the maiden, turning her into an elderly woman.

In an endeavor to return to normal, Sophie must accompany Howl and a myriad of strange companions—from a strong fire demon to a hopping scarecrow—in his living castle on a perilous adventure as a fierce war tears their kingdom apart.

5. The Garden of Words

Takao Akizuki, an aspiring shoemaker, skips class on a wet morning in Tokyo to sketch patterns in a beautiful garden. This is when he first meets Yukari Yukino, a gorgeous yet mysterious woman. Takao continues to meet with Yukari throughout the rainy season, offering to create her new shoes, and the two are able to assuage the troubles lurking in their hearts simply by being together. Their personal troubles, however, have not totally vanished, and as the conclusion of the rainy season nears, their partnership will be put to the test.

4. A Silent Voice

Shouya Ishida, an elementary school student, strove to beat boredom in the cruelest methods as a wild adolescent. Shouko Nishimiya, who is deaf, transfers into his class, and Shouya and the rest of his class bully her for fun. When her mother informs the school, he is singled out and blamed for everything that has happened to her. Shouya is at the mercy of his peers now that Shouko has transferred out of the school. Throughout elementary and middle school, he is heartlessly ostracised, while teachers turn a blind eye.

Shouya, now in his third year of high school, is still haunted by his youthful transgressions. He sets out on a voyage of redemption, hoping to encounter Shouko again and make apologies for his sins in the past.

A Silent Voice tells the heartwarming story of Shouya’s reunion with Shouko and his honest attempts to redeem himself, all while being tormented by the shadows of his past.

3. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas

The aloof protagonist: a bookworm who is totally disconnected from the world in which he lives. He has no interest in others and is certain that no one has any interest in him. His story starts when he discovers a handwritten book titled “Living with Dying.” He quickly recognizes it as the private diary of his popular, cheerful classmate Sakura Yamauchi. She then tells him about her pancreatic ailment and how she knows her time is running out. Her deadly sickness is only known to her family; even her closest friends are unaware. Despite this revelation, he shows zero sympathies for her plight, but caught in the waves of Sakura’s persistent buoyancy, he eventually concedes to accompanying her for her remaining days.

As the two polar opposites engage, their bond grows stronger, intertwining via their daily decisions. Her unpredictability and apparent nonchalance upset the protagonist’s emotionless flow of existence, eventually opening his heart as he realizes and accepts the actual meaning of living.

2. Weathering With You

Tokyo is currently experiencing rain showers, which appear to be disrupting everyone’s normal pace to no end. In the midst of this seemingly endless downpour, Hodaka Morishima, a runaway high school student, arrives, struggling to sustain himself and eventually landing work at a small-time publisher. At the same time, Hina Amano, an orphan, is looking for work to support herself and her younger brother.

Both fates are intertwined as Hodaka attempts to save Hina from shady individuals and decides to flee together. As a result, Hodaka realizes Hina has an odd yet amazing power: she can summon the sun anytime she prays for it. Hodaka sees the possibility of this skill in light of Tokyo’s peculiar weather. He advises that Hina become a “sunshine girl,” someone who clears the sky for people when they are in need.

Things begin looking up for them at first. However, it is common knowledge that power always comes with a hefty price…

1. Your Name

Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl, wishes to live the life of a boy in Tokyo, a fantasy that contrasts sharply with her current life in the countryside. Meanwhile, Taki Tachibana, a high school student juggling a part-time job and dreaming of a career in architecture, lives a busy life in the city.

Mitsuha awakens one day in a room that is not her own and finds herself living her ideal life in Tokyo—but in Taki’s body! Taki, on the other hand, finds himself living Mitsuha’s life in the poor countryside. In search of an explanation for this bizarre phenomenon, they begin to look for one another.

Your Name is centered on Mitsuha and Taki’s activities, which begin to have a major impact on each other’s lives, weaving them into a fabric linked together by fate and circumstance.

BONUS: Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

Tsuneo Suzukawa, a university student with a passion for diving and an interest in marine biology, works multiple part-time jobs to raise enough money to study overseas. But one fateful night, he meets a girl in a wheelchair, forcing him to deviate from his current path.

Kumiko, who wants to be called “Josee,” comes across as unpleasant at first. Tsuneo, on the other hand, is persuaded by Josee’s grandmother to accept the paid position as Josee’s caregiver. Despite his irritation with her domineering approach, Tsuneo sees an opportunity to save more money to support his academic ambition. Tsuneo tries to quit after putting up with Josee’s conduct for a while, only to uncover Josee’s fantasies of exploring the outside world—of experiencing a life free of her paralyzing disease.

Tsuneo changes his mind and agrees to accompany Josee on her exploration of the world’s wonders. During their time together, the two learn that the characteristics that unite them may be crucial to achieving their individual goals.

That was it for the list, be sure to let us know what’s your favorite romance anime movie in the comments below!

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