Favourite Romance Anime (30 Days of Anime – Years 1 to 5) – Day 14

30 Days of Anime Year 1 to 5 The Otaku Author Favourite Romance Anime

It’s not been that long since I looked at my favourite anime couples for my 30 Days of Anime challenge. Now, it’s about more than just the couples. These were my favourite romance anime!

Favourite Romance Anime (30 Days of Anime – Years 1 to 5) – Day 14

In my recent post about my favourite anime couples, I mentioned that I haven’t really been watching a lot of anime romances. Of course, there’s often a romance subtext to most series, but it’s only recently that I’ve found myself getting really into shows like 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Honestly, I’m as surprised as the next person. Anyhow, as much as I joke about not watching romance anime, I definitely have a soft spot for a good romantic element, so I had no trouble finding shows to talk about for each of the last five years.

Year 1 – My First Girlfriend is a Gal (Season One)

It probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that some of my favourite couples will have been selected from my favourite romance anime. So, let’s talk about the first one. I loved Junichi and Yukana in My First Girlfriend is a Gal and while the series is probably more likely considered an ecchi harem romantic comedy, I feel like the way their relationship developed felt incredibly natural and definitely gave me flashbacks to being that age and making lots of stupid decisions. I originally only published a season review of My First Girlfriend is a Gal, but it’s one that I would love to revisit if I have the time to look at the episodes individually.

Year 2 – The Quintessential Quintuplets (Season One)

I was instantly drawn to The Quintessential Quintuplets in the opening moments of the first episode. We see Futaro examining the lunch menu at school before coming up with the most effective way to get the most food for his money. It was like looking into a mirror. Anyhow, I also very quickly fell in love with the quintuplets and loved the way this series keeps you guessing as to which of the five girls he ends up marrying. Amazingly, each of the girls has their moment that makes you hope that it’s them. I am worried that the ending is going to be a tough one to swallow as four of the girls will be left unhappy, and I don’t want to see any of them unhappy! I can’t even pick a favourite as I change my mind every couple of seconds when I start to think about it!

Year 3 – My Dress-Up Darling (Season One)

It had to be My Dress-up Darling. I originally started covering the series with some lighthearted ecchi-focused posts but soon realised that it wasn’t going to be enough. That led me to put together three of my favourite posts, where I looked at the messages that I believed the series was trying to pass on to us. I loved writing them, I loved watching the anime, and I loved reading the manga. At the time of writing this post, I have reviewed all eleven volumes of the manga too and am eagerly awaiting the second season. I simply adore this series and cannot get enough!

Year 4 – Citrus (Season One)

I conducting an interesting experiment with Citrus. I read all ten volumes of the manga first, scheduled my reviews, and then watched the anime. However, the way that I scheduled the posts, resulted in everything overlapping, giving The Otaku Author a decidedly Citrus feel for about twelve weeks. There were some interesting differences between the anime and the manga, particularly with how forceful they made Mei in the anime compared to the manga. Either way, I loved this series and am in the process of tracking down the manga so that I can keep them in my personal collection. Yuzu is such a darling that I couldn’t help but get sucked into her world as went on a voyager of self-discovery. I’d been a Yuri fan for a while before this, but this series absolutely hammered that home for me.

Year 5 – Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Season One)

Much like with My First Girlfriend is a Gal, I started watching Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! expecting a fun ecchi comedy. And, just like with Junichi and Yukana, I loved the story of Tsubasa and Minami. One of the most surprising things about this series was how similar Tsubasa’s experience of moving from Tokyo to Hokkaido was to my experience of moving from Auckland, New Zealand to Thunder Bay, Canada. Even stuff like smelt fishing and the insane cold perfectly paralleled everything I had been through. Now, I didn’t get a harem of gals out of it, but I was already married so that was never going to happen… Anyhow, this story pulled me in and would not let go. I loved it and would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone.

Final Thoughts!

One of the things I regularly go about on this site is the need to broaden your horizons. I know it’s hard because we know what we like and there’s an element of safety that comes with that. However, if I had done that, I would have missed out on so many wonderful shows. As an author, I think it’s even more important to understand different genres and the tropes that make them. You never know when you might need to dip into another genre or introduce a subplot that focuses on something you don’t normally write. Anyhow, I have fond memories of all of these shows and am excited to see what’s next from the challenge.

Well, this should be interesting. The next category is the Most Episodes of an Anime. That should add a bit of randomness to the 30 Days of Anime challenge! Thanks for visiting.

Other Posts in the Series

30 Days of Anime (Years 1 to 5)

DayChallenge
1My First Anime
2Most Nostalgic Anime
3Most Emotional Anime
4Favourite Hot Springs Episode
5Favourite Action Anime
6Favourite Anime Villain
7Favourite Fantasy Anime
8Favourite Horror Anime
9Favourite Sports Anime
10Most Rewatched Anime
11Favourite Anime Couple
12Favourite Anime Protagonist
13Favourite Supernatural Anime
14Favourite Romance Anime
15Most Episodes of an Anime
16Favourite Science Fiction Anime
17Favourite Isekai Anime
18Favourite Drama Anime
19Most Shocking Anime Ending
20Favourite Ecchi Anime
21Favourite Mystery Anime
22Weirdest Anime
23Most Chilled Anime
24Favourite Comedy Anime
25Favourite Harem Anime
26Favourite Anime Fight
27Favourite Male Anime Character
28Favourite Female Anime Character
29Favourite Rewatched Anime
30Favourite New Anime

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5 Comments

  1. 7th Time Loop will be my next watch very soon, but for now, my personal fave romance is Loving Yamada at Level 999 scoring a rare 10 from me. It’s all simple and the premise is common as it sets around falling in love with someone who plays the same MMO as you. I’m hoping for a season renewal though it’s unlikely for shojo series to get one despite My Happy Marriage and the long awaited From Me to You anime defied those zero expectations.

    • Yes! Loving Yamada at level 999 was a really good series. I read the manga before seeing the anime and both are really good. I would totally watch a second season of this series, but I also think that the first season left off in a good place where the story felt complete so it’s okay if there isn’t any more.

    • I’ve not seen Yamada but will definitely look into it. There seems to be no reason to season renewals. Some get them, most don’t sadly, and it’s always the ones that I really want to see.

    • I’ve not seen Yuri on Ice and it’s never really appealed to me, but that’s probably exactly why I should watch it. Thanks for reminding me.

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