Best Romance Anime of 1997

In "Tenchi in Tokyo," Tenchi Masaki begins a new chapter by moving to Tokyo for school, leaving his female friends feeling downhearted about his departure. Despite their worry, Tenchi soon finds comfort in Sakuya Kumashiro, a kind-hearted person who helps him adjust to his new surroundings. Their connection grows quickly, though Sakuya's romantic feelings for Tenchi come as a surprise to both of them, stirring emotions not only in Tenchi but also among his friends back home. Determined to win Tenchi's heart, these girls promptly travel to Tokyo to compete for his affection. Amid this rivalry, Tenchi must navigate the complexities of his relationships while dealing with mysterious events that gradually distance him from those close to him.

After being reborn as Taka Sukunami in the real world, Tamahome reunites with Miaka Yuuki, and their romantic relationship rekindles. But their happiness is cut short when a resentful transfer student, Ren Shigyou, appears and incites others to oppose them. During a confrontation orchestrated by Shigyou's followers, Miaka and Taka fall from the school rooftop into a mysterious red light, which carries them back to the Universe of the Four Gods. There, they discover that a malevolent demon is responsible for the recent upheavals. Furthermore, Taka learns that unless he retrieves memories hidden inside seven jewels, he will cease to exist. Teaming up with their former companions, Miaka and Taka set out on a desperate mission to collect the gems before their time runs out.

A Keio University (one of the top three colleges in Japan) exam candidate, Touma Inaba, is interrupted when a cute young girl, Urara Kasuga, arrives at his hotel room door. She later turns out to be his cousin who he barely remembers from his childhood. Urara, who had felt something special for him (an other-than-cousinly-love), invites Touma to live with her since he has no place to stay other than the hotel room. Before taking the test, Touma meets Meiko Yotsuba, a beautiful, sophisticated woman also trying to get into Keio. Meiko gets into Keio but Touma does not, due to a cold Urara had given him shortly before. Although he did not make it, he pretends he does to earn the respect of Meiko. Touma is caught up in a love triangle with Urara and Meiko, while struggling to keep Meiko believing he's really a Keio student and still be there for Urara at the same time.

In the world of Photon Earth, a kind-hearted young man with incredible physical strength bears the word "Baka" (meaning "idiot" in Japanese) carved into his forehead, likely done by his playful companion Aun Freya. His life grows more complicated when he becomes engaged to Keyne Acqua, a beautiful runaway pilot, after he marks her forehead with the same word. His troubles escalate as he must shield both Aun and Keyne from Papacharino, a malicious figure seeking to steal the secrets of "Aho" (another term for idiot) energy hidden within Keyne's grandfather's spaceship.

In a world where humans and monsters coexist, Sasahara Natsuki works as a struggling bounty hunter. Her missions frequently involve resolving disputes where monsters have violated human rights, which are protected due to the significant power gap between the two groups. As a half-human, half-cat-beast hybrid, Natsuki is caught between these worlds, striving to understand and respect both cultures while enforcing the law. She is aided by her companions: Batanen, a werewolf secretly in love with her; Tommy, another werewolf; and Sakura, a Kyubi fox demon who seeks to devour Natsuki to complete her nine tails and achieve her full magical potential.

In "Saber Marionette J Again," the android marionettes Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry, who look like girls, rejoin Otaru. The partially reformed marionettes from Faust—Tiger, Luchs, and Panther—come to stay with Otaru and his group to better understand human feelings. A new marionette named Marine appears with a mysterious power. All these marionettes have a special maiden circuit that lets them feel emotions.

On her sixteenth birthday, Honey Kisaragi goes to meet her father, only to find him wounded and being chased by attackers. A gang and a monster soon confront them, but Detective Seiji Hayama intervenes. Despite his efforts, the monster manages to kidnap her father, leaving Honey heartbroken. Returning home, she discovers her house has been demolished. A mysterious and attractive stranger then appears, giving her a device that allows her to transform into various forms to battle the monsters responsible for her father's abduction. Honey uses this power to combat Panther Zora, the mastermind behind these malicious acts.

This movie, which exists outside the continuity of both the TV series and the original manga, reimagines a classic Cinderella tale within the world of 1980s dance. Tsukushi Makino, a dancer training with a New York performance company, works to win the lead role with assistance from Rui Hanazawa and Tsukasa Doumyouji.

Seara has harbored feelings for Shuhei ever since she was a child. At that time, Shuhei was three years her senior and much taller, telling her to come back when she had grown up and become more mature. Now, several years later, Seara resembles an ordinary high school girl. She has managed to move into Shuhei's home, aiming to win his affection, but multiple obstacles might stand in her way.

Honey Kisaragi appears to be an ordinary high school student until the criminal organization Panther Claw kidnaps her father, a renowned scientist. In his absence, he leaves her a gadget that allows her to transform into Cutey Honey, a valiant warrior with red hair and a sword.

In "Kakyuusei: Elf Version," high school friends Mizuho Yuuki and Miko Kamiyama are inseparable, with Miko harboring a secret crush on their classmate Tohru Nagase. Wanting Miko's happiness above all, Mizuho decides to step aside and help foster a potential relationship between them. But matters grow even trickier when underclassman Ai Minamizato confesses her own feelings for Tohru. Consequently, Tohru ends up stuck between two admirers who have both openly declared their love for him.

An innocent, yet well-endowed, schoolgirl goes to retrieve her hat from a house she believes is abandoned. Inside, a deranged madman watches her, instantly becoming obsessed with controlling her, possessing her, and forcing her to submit to his every desire. Armed with an arsenal of advanced technology, he terrorizes her with threats of death, dismemberment, domination, degradation, and the erasure of her free will and identity. A nightmare of biological, chemical, and nuclear horrors unfolds as she is trapped in her new, manipulated existence.