Best Romance Anime of 2015

The Volunteer Service Club has become a regular fixture at the school, handling an increasing number of student requests for help with their personal problems. Yet, the members frequently find themselves at odds over how to approach these challenges. Hachiman Hikigaya’s proposed solutions often conflict with Yukino Yukinoshita’s, causing tension and straining their working relationship. In spite of these disagreements, the three club members keep striving to find a middle ground. As they continue their efforts, they might eventually reach a point where they uncover something truly authentic.

In this world, only a handful of humans can manifest their souls into formidable weapons. These individuals, called Blazers, undergo training at the prestigious Hagun Academy to become Mage-Knights. Among the student body is the so-called failure Ikki Kurogane, the sole F-ranked Blazer. But when the academy's worst student accidentally sees Stella Vermillion—an A-ranked Blazer who is also a princess—in the nude, she challenges him to a duel with severe stakes: the loser becomes the winner's slave. There's no way Stella could possibly lose, right? As he strives to demonstrate his strength to a world that considers him the weakest, Ikki acquires new friends, insight, and experience.

After failing his university entrance exams, eighteen-year-old Tsukasa Mizugaki secures employment at the Sion Artificial Intelligence Corporation by leveraging personal connections. This organization manufactures Giftias, sophisticated androids nearly indistinguishable from humans, though they possess a limited lifespan of 81,920 hours, roughly nine years and four months. Tsukasa is assigned to Terminal Service One, a unit tasked with retrieving Giftias that have reached their expiration date to prevent them from losing their memories and turning hostile. Shortly after starting, he is paired with Isla, a stunningly beautiful Giftia and a veteran of the Terminal Service. Despite her small stature and calm demeanor, she is regarded as the top expert in Giftia retrievals. As their time together draws to a close, Tsukasa must confront his growing affection for Isla, realizing that no matter one's wishes, nothing endures forever.

Ryuu Yamada started high school hoping for a fresh start and a more productive life. He chose Suzaku High so that no one would know about his violent delinquent past. But boredom quickly set in, and by his second year, Ryuu had reverted to his old ways—lazy, failing grades, and constantly fighting. One day, after another visit to the office, he runs into Urara Shiraishi, a beautiful honors student. A moment of clumsiness sends them both tumbling down the stairs, resulting in an accidental kiss! The two discover they can swap bodies with a kiss—a power that proves both convenient and troublesome. When student council officer and sole member of the Supernatural Studies Club, Toranosuke Miyamura, learns of their ability, he recruits them for the club. Joined by Miyabi Itou, an eccentric who is fascinated by all things supernatural, the group uncovers the legend of the Seven Witches of Suzaku High—seven female students who each possess a unique power activated by a kiss. The Supernatural Studies Club sets out on its first mission: to find all the witches.

As summer break arrives for the students of Kuoh Academy, the Red Dragon Emperor Issei Hyoudou and the Occult Research Club are back in action. Their battle against Issei's sworn enemy Vali and the Chaos Brigade made it evident just how inexperienced Rias Gremory's team is. To prepare for the trials ahead, Rias and Azazel lead the club through a rigorous training program in the Underworld. While the team gradually matures together, Issei once again finds himself in intimate situations with the girls of the Occult Research Club. Meanwhile, their opponents grow stronger and more numerous as they gather their forces. And with the sudden arrival of Loki, the Evil God of Norse Mythology, the stage is set for epic battles and fearsomely powerful devils in High School DxD BorN!

While his parents are away overseas, Kimihito Kurusu enjoys a quiet, normal life—until monster girls arrive and disrupt his peace. In this alternate Japan, the country leads global efforts to integrate non-human species through its advanced interspecies exchange program. But thanks to coordinator Agent Smith's incompetence, Kimihito is mistakenly made the live-in caretaker for Miia, a Lamia. This error turns him into the center of a rapidly growing harem of women from various species, all drawn to him by powerful attraction and erotic tension. The situation grows more complicated due to the Interspecies Exchange Act, which strictly forbids sexual relations between humans and monsters. The only legal way around this ban is a controversial experimental marriage clause. As a result, Kimihito's life descends into chaos as he navigates a maze of species-specific rules and sensitive legal loopholes. His passionate, affectionate, and lustful new housemates constantly pursue his romantic and physical attention. With new monster girls frequently appearing and unpredictable events always happening, it's impossible to guess where Kimihito and his chaotic harem will end up next.

The apparent resolution of the conflict between their families does not stop Raku Ichijou and Chitoge Kirisaki from keeping up their fake relationship. As Chitoge’s feelings toward Raku shift, she begins to see him in a more favorable light. Yet she struggles with her emerging emotions, especially when a fresh rival appears and the competition for the yakuza heir’s affection heats up. Meanwhile, the search for the truth behind the locked locket and the identity of Raku’s first love continues in Nisekoi: False Love Season 2, picking up directly from where the first season left off.

Despite her name meaning "snow white," Shirayuki is a cheerful young woman with red hair who lives in the country of Tanbarun and works hard as an apothecary at her herbal shop. Her life takes a major turn when she catches the attention of the foolish Prince Raji of Tanbarun, who attempts to force her into becoming his concubine. Refusing to surrender her freedom, Shirayuki cuts her long red hair and flees into the forest, where she is saved from Raji by Zen Wistalia, the second prince of a neighboring land, along with his two attendants. Wanting to someday repay the debt she owes to the trio, Shirayuki sets her sights on becoming the court herbalist in Zen's country, Clarines. Akagami no Shirayuki-hime follows Shirayuki's path toward a fresh start at the royal palace of Clarines, as well as Zen's efforts to grow into a prince worthy of his position. As loyal bonds are formed and dangerous foes arise, Shirayuki and Zen gradually learn to support one another while walking their own journeys.

Takeo Gouda, a high school freshman, stands out with his muscular build and towering height, but beneath his intimidating exterior is a genuinely kind and noble heart. His male classmates admire him as a hero for his courage and chivalry. However, Takeo's appearance works against him in romance. His good-looking and effortlessly cool best friend, Makoto Sunakawa, who is always by his side, unintentionally captures the hearts of the girls at school—including every girl Takeo has ever liked. When Takeo rescues the cute Rinko Yamato from a molester, he falls for her instantly. Yet he quickly assumes she may have feelings for Sunakawa. Despite his growing love for Yamato, Takeo resolves to play the role of a matchmaker for her, all while secretly longing for his own love story to unfold.

Tomoya Aki is an otaku who has spent years collecting anime and light novels, immersing himself in series with compelling stories and characters. Now he wants to give others the same experience by making his own game, but he cannot accomplish this alone. He successfully gets his childhood friend Eriri Spencer Sawamura on board as the illustrator and the literary elitist Utaha Kasumigaoka to pen the script for his visual novel, with himself acting as director. With this super-group assembled, Tomoya just needs a source of inspiration for his project, and he happens to meet the beautiful, gentle Megumi Katou, whom he then uses as the basis for his main character. Armed with whatever knowledge he has, Tomoya forms a new doujin circle, hoping to move the hearts of everyone who plays their game. What he doesn't realize is that in order to evoke those emotions, the creators themselves must have experienced similar feelings in their own lives.

A century ago, a massive catastrophe called the Invertia transformed the world, weakening established countries and allowing the Integrated Empire Foundation to gain power. This event also created the Genestella—humans with superhuman abilities. The most talented among them are chosen to attend elite schools, where they battle in public tournaments known as Festas. Ayato Amagiri transfers to the struggling Seidoukan Academy on a scholarship. After accidentally seeing Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld, the Witch of Resplendent Flames, in an embarrassing situation, she demands a duel. Though the match is called off, Ayato makes it clear he has no interest in Festas; he came to search for his missing older sister. But as a dark plot unfolds, Ayato must fight to survive, surrounded by some of the most powerful Genestella in the world.

Individuals able to manifest weapons from their souls are called Blazers and attend Kouryou Academy High School to hone their abilities. Students are required to partner up, aiming for the ultimate objective of reaching the Absolute Duo state. After a mysterious killer murders his sister and friends, Tooru Kokonoe enters the academy in search of strength and revenge. During the opening ceremony, he is forced to duel the student sitting next to him, with expulsion hanging in the balance for the loser. As Tooru prepares for combat, his soul produces a shield instead of a weapon. This unusual occurrence catches the attention of Julie Sigtuna, a foreign student at the school.

Nanami Momozono, alongside her familiars Tomoe and Mizuki, has faced numerous obstacles since becoming the patron god of Mikage Shrine. When the wind god Otohiko invites her to the Divine Assembly in Izumo—the realm of the gods—she decides to bring Mizuki along, leaving Tomoe behind to impersonate her at school. But Nanami has a hidden reason for attending: she hopes to learn the location of the missing Lord Mikage, the shrine's former deity. Following her time in Izumo, Nanami encounters Botanmaru, a young tengu searching for someone Nanami knows intimately—Shinjirou Kurama, the tengu who became a goth idol. Botanmaru pleads for Shinjirou, their prince, to return to Mount Kurama and overthrow Jirou, who has seized control of their home. Yet Nanami soon realizes that a more sinister force than Jirou is manipulating events on the mountain. As a novice goddess gradually growing more comfortable with her divine role, Nanami must navigate a tengu rebellion, her deepening feelings for Tomoe, and the appearance of a mysterious man connected to both Tomoe's past and Nanami's destiny.

Grisaia no Rakuen picks up immediately after the events of Grisaia no Meikyuu. Kazami Yuuji is taken into custody on suspicion of terrorism, with a video surfacing that appears to offer solid proof of his involvement. He is detained by Ichigaya. Ichigaya is fully aware that Yuuji did not actually commit the crimes he has been charged with. However, Yuuji did fail to eliminate Heath Oslo, the leader of the terrorist organization that possesses an extremely dangerous weapon. In truth, Ichigaya have their own designs for Yuuji... But all hope may not be lost for Yuuji. The girls of Mihama Academy refuse to let him be exploited for political purposes, and neither does the mysterious new individual who suddenly appears before them.

Seiken Tsukai no World Break is set at Akane Private Academy, where students who carry memories of their former lives are trained in Ancestral Arts to protect humanity from random monster attacks by Metaphysicals. These students, called saviors, are split into two types: kurogane, who channel prana to summon offensive weapons, and kuroma, who use magic. The story opens six months before the major climax, during the first-day opening ceremonies of the school year. After the ceremony, protagonist Moroha Haimura meets a girl named Satsuki Ranjou, who reveals she was his little sister in a past life where Moroha was a heroic prince capable of cutting down entire armies with his swordplay. Soon after, he meets another girl, Shizuno Urushibara, who eventually discloses that she knew Moroha in a completely different past life as a dark lord wielding destructive magic, who rescued her from a life of slavery. Can those whose minds dwell in both the present and the past truly achieve a bright future? Dive into the intricate world of Seiken Tsukai no World Break to find out!

In a world where magical dangers and threats are ever-present, specialized warriors called Inquisitors are trained to non-violently prevent these threats and malicious activities. The Anti-Magic Academy is a dedicated institution that educates and trains these Inquisitors, dividing students into small squads to foster teamwork. Among them is the 35th Test Platoon, nicknamed the "Small Fry Platoon" because of its low ranking and unskilled members. But things shift when Ouka Ootori, a strong-willed and rebellious former Inquisitor, is forced to join the platoon after breaking rules and committing a serious offense: killing a witch. Her arrival sparks conflict, as she clashes with the clumsy squad captain Takeru Kusanagi and argues with the rest of the team over her attitude toward witches. This mismatched group has a long journey ahead if they hope to succeed and move up the ranks at the Anti-Magic Academy—they must first resolve their differences and learn to cooperate as a unit.

Hayato Izumi is a shy, academically minded high school student who decides to run for student council president. But his campaign is quickly crushed by his opponent, Ui Wakana, a lively and outgoing girl who advocates for improving school life through love and sex education. Accepting defeat, Hayato becomes the vice president. Soon after the election, Ui drops a bombshell: she is moving into Hayato's home—as his wife. Though initially reluctant, Hayato learns that their parents arranged the marriage and eventually goes along with it. As they start their new life together, the couple must navigate living under the same roof while keeping their secret relationship hidden from the entire school.

Kimito Kagurazaka is an ordinary guy with an alleged obsession with muscular men—or at least, that's the false story he's forced to maintain to avoid trouble at Seikain Academy, an elite all-girls school. Abducted by the institution under the mistaken belief that he is attracted to men, Kimito becomes their "commoner sample," meant to introduce the students to both common life and male presence so their eventual transition to the outside world won't be shocking. Threatened with castration if his true preferences contradict the school's assumptions, Kimito keeps up the charade to safeguard his masculinity. However, eccentric individuals lurk everywhere, complicating Kimito's existence further. Among them are Aika Tenkuubashi, a social misfit who speaks without a filter; Hakua Shiodome, a child prodigy; Karen Jinryou, a samurai's daughter obsessed with defeating Kimito; and Reiko Arisugawa, the perfect student who harbors fantasies of marrying him. Together with the commoner himself, these four girls form the Commoner Club, aiming to educate the students about life beyond the school walls, while Kimito gradually uncovers the peculiarities of the girls surrounding him.

One afternoon after school, Asahi Kuromine accidentally discovers that Youko Shiragami, the classmate he has a crush on, is actually a vampire. Following her father's rules, Youko must now leave school to protect her family. Asahi refuses to let her go and vows to keep her true identity a secret. But this proves much harder than expected, since Asahi has a transparent face and simply cannot keep anything hidden. This is just the start of his problems—more supernatural beings start appearing in his life, and he must safeguard all their secrets or face the repercussions. Jitsu wa Watashi wa follows Asahi as he copes with his new friends and the unusual issues they bring, struggles to stay quiet, and desperately tries to win Youko's heart along the way.

The emotionless assassin Golden Darkness returns to explore the secrets of her new existence, while the sinister Nemesis manipulates her younger sister Mea from the shadows. Along with their newly found mother, Tearju, this once-divided family becomes the focus of everyone's attention. Meanwhile, Princess Momo's Harem Plan falters as Rito struggles to confess to his longtime crush Haruna, who has developed her own feelings. But beneath the surface, not all is calm; an evil force lurks within the harmless chaos, threatening to overshadow the love, joy, and bonds of Rito and his harem. Only the power of love can hope to dispel the darkness.

As the tales of everyone linked to Wagnaria reach their conclusion, one thing is for sure: the workplace is about to become more chaotic than ever! From painfully awkward romances to determined searches for missing relatives and even tense family get-togethers, Souta Takanashi—who adores all things cute and tiny—and his eccentric team have their hands full. With an abundance of Napoleon complexes, androphobia, and katana-wielding antics that make a frying pan seem tame, Working!!! serves up one last helping of the staff's hilarious misadventures at everyone's favorite family restaurant.

The Tsunashi couple remains as eccentric and lively as ever. Hardcore otaku shut-in Hajime and workaholic office lady Kaoru keep finding themselves in hilarious predicaments, thanks to both their own peculiar personalities and the oddball group of friends around them. Upon learning of Kaoru's pregnancy, Hajime puts in extra effort to become a good husband and a worthy father. Meanwhile, Kaoru looks back on their relationship, recalling all the challenges and triumphs that brought them closer. Together, they continue giving their all in their lives and marriage—all in the name of enduring, selfless love.

One snowy day at her shrine, land god Nanami Momozono sees her familiar, the fox youkai Tomoe, collapse as dark marks spread across his body. After a long absence, Tomoe's former master, Lord Mikage, appears and places Tomoe into a magical pocket mirror to slow the progression of his affliction. Mikage explains that long ago, before he and Tomoe met, the fox youkai was in love with a human woman. To live as a human with his beloved, Tomoe made a deal with a fallen god, but it only resulted in a curse that killed him. When Mikage discovered Tomoe, the god made the youkai forget his human love as a quick fix. However, something has recently revived the curse: Tomoe has fallen in love with his new human master, Nanami. With no way to stop the curse, Nanami decides to travel back in time to prevent Tomoe from ever being cursed, even if it means they might never meet. As she journeys hundreds of years into the past to save her precious familiar, Nanami discovers that her bond with Tomoe is far deeper than she ever realized.

Midgar is an all-girls academy that would have been noteworthy simply for admitting its first and only male student, Yuu Mononobe. However, Midgar is distinguished for far more: it is a school exclusive to a group of girls called D's. Each possesses immensely powerful abilities to generate dark matter and shape it into formidable weapons. The D's did not exist twenty-five years ago; they only emerged after mysterious, destructive monsters known as "Dragons" began appearing worldwide. Strangely, just as abruptly as they arrived, they disappeared. In the wake of their devastation, some girls started being born with symbols on their bodies and powers akin to those wielded by the Dragons themselves. Now the D's attend this school, hoping to control and utilize their abilities against the Dragons. Yuu is their newest member, extraordinary for being the only known male D in existence. He must now build relationships with the girls around him—including his long-separated sister, who also attends the school—and collaborate with them to investigate and eliminate the threat of the mighty Dragons.

Maria is a powerful young witch living with her two familiars in medieval France during the Hundred Years' War against England. As the conflict escalates and innocent people become entangled in its devastation, Maria grows frustrated with the situation and starts using her magic to intervene in hopes of preserving peace. However, her persistent meddling soon draws the notice of the heavens, and the archangel Michael is dispatched to stop her from interfering in human affairs. The divine being confronts Maria and prohibits her from using her powers, issuing a decree that she will lose her magic if she loses her virginity. Though now branded a heretic, Maria adamantly refuses to obey Michael's warning and continues disrupting the war between the two nations. But as the Church begins scheming to strip the witch of her power and put an end to her interference once and for all, her peacemaking may soon be brought to a halt.

Junichirou Kagami is a brilliant young physicist and a published academic, but he is also a hopeless otaku. Afflicted by what he calls YD, a self-diagnosed condition that lets him only do what he "Yearns to Do," he abandons his scientific career to focus on running and improving his anime blog. However, his sister Suzune grows tired of his NEET lifestyle and forces him to accept a job as a high school physics teacher. Though Junichirou has no interest in teaching the standard curriculum, he may still have valuable lessons to offer his students beyond academics. Leading his class, he sets out on an unlikely journey filled with life lessons about accepting others, forming lasting friendships, and living a better life by doing what you yearn to do.

Shinichirou Asano is plagued by terrible luck. His parents abandoned him and fled to Europe, leaving him with barely enough money to survive. To pay rent and keep a roof over his head, he needs a job—but he's just been fired, and as a high school student, his options are limited. One evening, a centipede monster attacks him on his way home. A mysterious girl with a bow and arrow saves Shinichirou, and he later learns she is Sakuya Shimazu, a beautiful student at his school. When he later helps an injured girl, he makes two discoveries: first, the girl is not human but a nekomata—a two-tailed demon cat—and second, Sakuya comes from a family of exorcists who have protected humanity from rogue monsters and spirits for generations. Because Shinichirou is responsible for freeing the nekomata, Sakuya enlists his help in recapturing the demon. But that is only the beginning of his relationship with her. It turns out the Shimazu family needs a housekeeper, and as it happens, Shinichirou excels at cooking and enjoys cleaning. It may not be his dream job, but if it covers the rent and puts food on the table...

In an alternate version of a well-known reality, Yuki Nagata, a quiet girl who loves reading and gaming, serves as the president of North High School's Literary Club. Her only fellow members are the overly cautious Ryouko Asakura and the completely ordinary Kyon. Yuki cherishes the calm, peaceful moments they share, especially those spent with Kyon, for whom she harbors romantic feelings. Their circle expands with the frequent visits of Tsuruya and Mikuru Asahina, two friends with contrasting personalities who often drop by the club. One chilly December day, while walking back to her apartment, Yuki is persuaded by a girl claiming to be trying to capture Santa Claus to draw strange symbols on the ground. The girl introduces herself as Haruhi Suzumiya, an eccentric student from the prestigious Kouyouen Academy who is searching for aliens, time travelers, and espers. When Haruhi and her companion Itsuki Koizumi suddenly appear in the clubroom, they declare themselves official members, with Haruhi installing herself as the executive president. With the Literary Club's tranquil days now a thing of the past, Yuki and her friends are swept into a series of misadventures under Haruhi's leadership—each event drawing Yuki and Kyon closer together.

Ritsuka Tachibana has always been a model student, so she is utterly taken aback when the student council summons her for violating school rules. Led by Rem Kaginuki, the council—which also includes Urie Sogami, Shiki Natsumezaka, and Mage Nanashiro—attempts to interrogate her, but it quickly becomes apparent they have hidden agendas. This is merely the start of Ritsuka's troubles. After her mother is abducted, her life is thrown into chaos, and she becomes entangled in a power struggle between vampires and devils. Both factions are hunting for the "Grimoire," a forbidden artifact that grants its holder dominion over the world, and Ritsuka has a mysterious link to this strange item. The return of her protective older brother Lindo from abroad gives Ritsuka hope that things might return to normal. But even her sibling conceals dark secrets of his own. Ritsuka starts to wonder who she can trust, and whether she can resist her growing fascination with the dangerously attractive student council members.

On the Martian colony of Fourth Tokyo, the brightest students of the Kirishina Corporation work in a classroom dedicated to advancing aerospace development: A-TEC. Led by the brilliant engineer Kaito Sera, the team eagerly awaits the arrival of their newest member. However, it soon becomes apparent that the transfer student is far from ordinary. Nagisa Kiryuu, the newly appointed chief of A-TEC and younger brother of the corporation's CEO, has been sent to shut down the program. To keep their classroom alive, Kaito and his students desperately work to develop a successor to their most powerful rocket, the X-2. Meanwhile, Nagisa climbs the corporate ladder in pursuit of his own mission. Despite their separate battles, it soon becomes clear that much more is happening within the Kirishina Corporation than meets the eye. Classroom☆Crisis follows Kaito and Nagisa, along with Kaito's younger sister Mizuki and A-TEC's test pilot Iris Shirasaki, in a story of intrigue, political warfare, and, against all odds, romance. As Nagisa and A-TEC are drawn deeper into the Kirishina Corporation's conspiracies, friendships grow and pasts are unveiled as they fight to avert their classroom crisis.

This is the third anime adaptation of the otome game Uta no☆Prince-sama♪. The members of Starish are assigned to newly formed teams as they strive to earn a spot in SSS, a prestigious music competition, by winning over Shining Saotome. At the same time, Haruka is collaborating with Quartet Night.

For thousands of years after its creation, humanity employed the written word to communicate across people and generations. As centuries passed and technology advanced, writing—and therefore communication itself—declined until it existed only on cell phones and computer screens. Seizing the opportunity, the sorcerer Sogan Kenzaki begins infecting words with the Nesta Virus, which brings them to life and transforms them into monsters called MJBK (Menace of Japanese with Biological Kinetic energy). To combat this threat to humanity, an organization called DEAVA (Division of EArth Verbalism Ability) assembles a group of young people who possess the ability of "Verbalism." These individuals must pilot the vector machines, which combine to form the mecha known as "Aquarions." The unpredictable factor in this situation is the self-proclaimed "savior," a young man who is the direct descendant of a famous calligrapher, named Akira Kaibuki.

Two strangers, each having been turned down for marriage by their respective partner on the same day, decided that the best cure for rejection was getting thoroughly intoxicated. Over the course of 24 hours of wild drunkenness, the two went from complete strangers to fast friends—and then got married to one another. Once they sobered up, they set out to reverse every foolish thing they had done while drunk, desperately hoping their original partners never find out.