Best Romance Anime of 2022

In high school, Wakana Gojou dedicates himself to mastering the art of crafting hina dolls, hoping to eventually equal his grandfather's mastery. While his peers are consumed by popular culture, Gojou finds joy in designing costumes for his dolls, a pastime he conceals due to a fear of ridicule. His quiet world is upended by Marin Kitagawa, a stunning and self-assured girl whose popularity and confidence starkly contrast with Gojou's shy, reclusive nature. Despite their differences, fate brings them together when Kitagawa uncovers Gojou's exceptional sewing abilities and shares her own enthusiasm for cosplay. Struggling with needlework herself, she requests his assistance. As they collaborate on various cosplay projects, Gojou and Kitagawa overcome the divide between their disparate lives, slowly forging a deep connection.

At the elite Shuchiin Academy, the student council continues its intense mental battle, primarily between President Miyuki Shirogane and Vice President Kaguya Shinomiya. Both remain resolute in their goal to force the other to confess their love first. While facing pressure from her affluent family, Kaguya slowly softens her cold exterior, drawing nearer to Shirogane and her peers. Concurrently, Treasurer Yuu Isigami grapples with his hidden crush on senior Tsubame Koyasu, whose approval significantly bolsters his self-assurance. The council's newest recruit, Miko Iino, starts forming a connection with the rebellious Ishigami as she challenges her rigid moral code. As romance blooms throughout the academy, the student council pulls their less traditional friends into a series of increasingly hilarious situations.

Kou Yamori is an ordinary middle schooler who cannot grasp the intricacies of love. Finding no motivation to adhere to societal expectations, he quits attending school. His empty days give way to sleepless nights, leading Kou to frequently roam the empty streets. One evening, he encounters a mysterious girl named Nazuna Nanakusa. She believes that night wanderers are those dissatisfied with daytime life who cannot sleep until they release their suppressed emotions. Nazuna invites Kou to stay at her place to help cure his insomnia. Though hesitant, Kou accepts and pretends to sleep on a futon beside her. However, while he feigns slumber, Nazuna bites his neck, revealing herself as a vampire. The bite does not immediately transform Kou; instead, he learns that full conversion requires being bitten by someone he truly loves. Desiring to abandon his mundane human existence, Kou resolves to fall in love with Nazuna to complete his transformation into a vampire.

Accidents and misfortune relentlessly pursue Yuu Izumi throughout his high school days, regardless of how improbable the situations may be. Hoping to break free from this streak of bad luck, he begins his second year with a singular goal: to share more meaningful moments with his devoted girlfriend, Micchon Shikimori. Shikimori is not only cute and athletic but also adored by her classmates. Yet, after a year of dating, Izumi has realized there is far more to her than her adorable appearance. While typically sweet and charming, she transforms into a surprisingly cool and capable protector whenever danger arises, safeguarding Izumi with effortless poise. Her allure continues to captivate him. Despite his unending string of unfortunate events, Izumi firmly believes that Shikimori's cuteness and competence will finally turn his luck around.

As Kazuya Kinoshita and Chizuru Mizuhara enter their second year of the rental arrangement, Chizuru announces her plan to quit the rental business and become a full-time actress. Although Kazuya wants to keep their connection alive, he decides to back her dream. He attends her debut performance and is impressed by her talent, but he worries when a famous director in the audience shows interest. After the director chooses another actress and delivers a scathing critique of Chizuru's abilities, Kazuya feels driven to keep renting her weekly to help with her finances. At the same time, the return of his ex-girlfriend, Mami Nanami, muddies his emotions and causes him to question his dedication to Chizuru.

In their final year of high school, Jirou Yakuin holds strong feelings for his childhood friend and classmate Shiori Sakurazaka. He looks forward to the marriage practical, a school activity where students are randomly assigned as pretend married couples to evaluate their compatibility, earning points based on how close they become. Meanwhile, the energetic Akari Watanabe hopes to be matched with her own crush, the popular and handsome Minami Tenjin. To their disappointment, Jirou and Akari end up paired together, while Shiori and Minami are matched as a couple. Determined to win over their respective crushes, Jirou and Akari strive to accumulate points, knowing that the top ten scoring couples will get the opportunity to exchange partners, provided everyone involved agrees.

In his first year of high school, Raidou aims to make friends, starting with Reina Aharen, the cute, small, and quiet girl sitting next to him. Unknown to Raidou, Reina also wants the same thing, but her social anxiety and shyness make it hard for her to handle personal boundaries in her relationships. Because Reina struggles to tell how close is too close, their growing friendship runs into many problems, turning even simple conversations into a challenge. Even so, through these constant, small hurdles, the creative Raidou stays set on building a solid connection with the mysterious Reina.

An ordinary man is transported into a dating sim game, finding himself in a world where women hold all the power. He struggles through the complex and demanding game, finally beating it after many exhausting days of play. His victory leaves him physically drained and starving. While trying to grab food from a convenience store, he trips on the stairs and loses consciousness. When he wakes up, he learns the terrible truth—he has been reborn as Leon Fou Bartfort, a minor character from the very game he played. Now trapped in a world he despises, Leon must use his knowledge of the game's story to survive the dangerous social hierarchy.

Nagi Umino is a diligent high school student, while Erika Amano is a prominent social media influencer. Their lives take an unexpected turn when they discover they were switched at birth. After this revelation comes to light, their families secretly collaborate on a plan to bring Nagi and Erika together with their biological parents and secure everyone's happiness by arranging their engagement. Upon learning of this scheme, Nagi and Erika strongly reject taking part in what they consider an absurd arrangement. With both families holding their ground, it remains uncertain how the relationship between these two will develop as time passes.

Bookish and unmotivated, Mizuto Irido, along with socially inept but kind-hearted Yume Ayai, were once a well-suited couple, united by their love for books. Their relationship, however, faltered due to their differing personalities, leading to their breakup shortly after middle school. In a twist of fate, they find themselves reunited as step-siblings. An unspoken rivalry emerges between the ex-couple, neither willing to acknowledge the other as the senior sibling. They devise a rule: the first to overstep sibling boundaries concedes defeat, allowing the victor to claim the title of older sibling and make one request. Living under the same roof, memories of their past relationship start to influence their behavior, potentially rekindling feelings that were never truly extinguished.

In the film adaptation of "The Quintessential Quintuplets," Fuutarou Uesugi persists in his role as the private tutor for the Nakano quintuplets, witnessing clear progress in their studies and personal development. As each sister nears her own goals, they begin to see Fuutarou as more than just a teacher, viewing him as a significant figure in their lives. This shifting dynamic forces Fuutarou to confront and define his own feelings. Resolved to reach a decision by the end of the school festival, Fuutarou becomes swept up in a flurry of affection as the quintuplets ramp up their efforts to capture his heart.

In "How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Part 2," the "Realist Hero" Kazuya Souma presses on with rebuilding the Elfrieden Kingdom through sweeping administrative reforms, backed by his capable team. After capturing Van, the capital of Amidonia, Kazuya is confronted by envoys from the Gran Chaos Empire, who demand penalties for violating the war prohibition set forth in the Mankind Declaration Treaty. Despite the tense situation, Kazuya comes up with a strategy to sidestep needless conflict and forge fresh alliances. Yet his plan hinges on securing the consent of the empire's representatives.

Anzu Hoshino spends her days absorbed in video games, chocolate, and her cat, with no interest in romance at all. Her ordinary life changes when she starts playing a glitchy 3D otome game, and suddenly Riri, a peculiar flying wizard, pops out of the screen. Riri declares Anzu "subject one" in a real-life harem dating game experiment. Despite Anzu's strong objections, Riri takes away her precious belongings to push her into romantic situations. Through a series of contrived accidents and clichéd romantic setups, Riri stages encounters between Anzu and Tsukasa Kazuki, an extremely attractive student at her school. Even though Anzu tries to resist Tsukasa's appeal, these absurd circumstances gradually reveal his endearing qualities. As more stereotypically handsome boys enter Anzu's life, it becomes harder and harder to avoid romance.

In Date A Live IV, Shidou Itsuka continues his mission with Ratatoskr, taking on new challenges after overcoming previous ones. His everyday life is disrupted when he encounters and helps a starving woman on the street, eventually following her to her apartment. There, she reveals herself as Nia Honjou, a famous manga artist using a pen name, and also a Spirit who knows about Shidou's secret operations. Intrigued by testing his charm, Nia challenges Shidou to a date. As he works to contain her abilities, Shidou learns more about Nia and her connection to Deus Ex Machina Industries, an organization he knows all too well.

In the futuristic city of Bayron, where a newly discovered energy source provides its residents with wealth and comfort, Shuu Ogata faces a starkly different reality. Operating his own private military company as a demon exterminator, Shuu struggles with constant financial trouble brought on by his reckless spending. His demon partner, Kisara, helps him with daily chores, though her enthusiastic efforts sometimes leave him overwhelmed. Together, Shuu and Kisara work to fight the demonic threats plaguing their city. But as they strive to protect their community, the process of exorcising possessed individuals carries a hidden burden that remains a secret to everyone around them.

Fudou Aikawa and Desumi Magahara are carrying on a covert romance. Fudou, who goes by "Red Gelato," leads the hero squad "Gelato 5" tasked with protecting Japan. Desumi, known as the "Reaper Princess," commands the fighters of "Gekko," a villainous secret organization bent on world conquest and the main enemy of Gelato 5. Although they are openly adversaries, Fudou and Desumi arrange to see each other in secret. Inexperienced with matters of love, the two strive to grow their relationship discreetly, hiding it from their respective comrades. Juggling their devotion to each other with their duties to their opposing factions, they must stay careful to keep their romance from being discovered.

In "The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes," Kaoru Touno struggles with a broken home after losing a sibling and his parents separating. Fleeing an angry argument with his father, Kaoru wanders into a strange tunnel that pulls him inside. Disoriented, he quickly exits, bringing with him a bird that looks exactly like his deceased pet. Leaving the tunnel, Kaoru discovers that although only a few minutes passed inside, an entire week has gone by outside. This strange phenomenon reminds him of stories about the "Urashima Tunnel," which can grant wishes but costs the wisher their lifespan. With his pet bird seemingly brought back to life, Kaoru wonders if the tunnel could fix his shattered family. When he returns to the tunnel, Kaoru meets Anzu Hanashiro, a new classmate who followed him there. Knowing the tunnel's legends, Anzu asks for his help with an experiment, revealing that she also has a wish only the tunnel can fulfill.

As the summer break comes to an end, the lively Hana Uzaki continues to spend her days with her reserved senior, Shinichi Sakurai. When the new semester starts, Uzaki's teasing becomes even more persistent, constantly annoying Sakurai. Nevertheless, their bond grows deeper as they move through their college life side by side.

Aileen Lauren Dautriche’s world is turned upside down when Crown Prince Cedric Jeanne Elmir breaks their engagement to pursue Lilia Rainworth. This event triggers memories of her previous life, revealing she has been reincarnated as the villainess in an otome game, fated to die in the story’s conclusion. To escape this grim outcome, Aileen decides to captivate the game’s ultimate antagonist, Claude Jeanne Elmir—the so-called "Demon King" and Cedric’s half-brother—and become his bride. This task proves difficult, as Claude is suspicious of her motives. Still, Aileen persists, seeking his love by supporting his goal of achieving harmony between humans and demonic beings. With time running out, she must alter the course of both her own doomed fate and Claude’s as well.

With the summer break drawing to a close, Nishikata is determined to try out his latest schemes in an effort to finally outwit his classmate Takagi. Even though he repeatedly fails, he begins to understand the subtleties of her clever mind. Before long, he starts to wonder what really drives Takagi's constant teasing. However, it becomes clear that every fun-filled day they spend scheming against one another only draws them closer.

In the series "Urusei Yatsura," the Oni—a group of aliens—threaten to attack Earth but instead propose a challenge: one selected human must touch the horns of Lum, the Oni leader's attractive daughter, in a game of tag. High school student Ataru Moroboshi, known for his lecherous behavior and bad luck, is chosen and given ten days to accomplish this seemingly impossible task due to Lum's supernatural abilities. Motivated by a marriage proposal from his childhood friend Shinobu Miyake, Ataru unexpectedly manages to grab Lum's bikini top before finally touching her horns. Despite achieving his goal, Lum misunderstands the situation and assumes Ataru intends to marry her, leading her to move into his house. Ataru now struggles to maintain his relationship with Shinobu while dealing with the persistent Lum. His ill-fated victory sets the stage for a series of chaotic events as he tries to navigate these challenges.

Within the bounty hunting world, Chateau Dankworth meets a surprisingly powerful adversary who rapidly shows fascination with her, even volunteering to help with her assignments. Despite his support, Chateau stays determined to maintain a purely business-based connection. Her organization then tasks her with taking out Song Ryang-ha, a one-time member of a major Asian crime ring renowned for his deadly abilities. It turns out Ryang-ha is the very person who has been tailing her. Unexpectedly, Chateau consents to go on dates with Ryang-ha in exchange for him revealing the locations of her bounties. But as their concealed pasts are exposed, the dangers tied to their agreement intensify, endangering the security and lives of both assassins.

After winning a middle school kendo tournament, Ayumu Tanaka makes an unexpected choice when he starts high school: he joins the unofficial Shogi Club instead of the Kendo Club. His reason is straightforward—Ayumu has a crush on Urushi Yaotome, the club's president and its sole member. He wants to be near her, but he promises himself not to confess his feelings until he can beat her in a shogi match. This goal is tough because Urushi is far more skilled and can easily read his moves. Still, Ayumu doesn't hold back from praising her looks, abilities, and even her smile. His blank expression and blunt compliments often make Urushi flustered and blush. As Ayumu improves at shogi and gets to know the charming Urushi better, he gets closer to revealing his feelings with every intense game, moving forward one piece at a time.

Set in a not-too-distant future where technological advancements are remarkable, Asahi Kashiwagi, a high school student, is predicted to receive love confessions from five strangers by an AI-powered TV fortune teller known for its accuracy. On his daily commute, he encounters Aoi Izumisawa, Bai Mongfa, Karin Istel, Amelia Irving, and Ilya Ilyukhin. Despite their initial unfamiliarity, each one confesses their love to him by day's end, just as the fortune teller had foreseen. Complicating matters further, Asahi learns that these five girls are actually contenders for his hand in marriage, sent by his father to reside at his home. Reluctantly accepting their presence, Asahi finds his ordinary high school routine disrupted by the chaos they bring. As relationships develop, Asahi begins to uncover repressed memories. Unraveling this mystery, he starts to suspect that his bond with these potential brides may be rooted in something deeper than mere chance.

Following their failed research trip to Okinawa, Saitama University postgraduates Shinya Yukimura and Ayame Himuro find themselves without the necessary data to scientifically validate their mutual affection. Since replicating the initial conditions proves impossible, they seek support from the Biological Sciences faculty. Partnering with graduate students and established couple Chris Floret and Suiu Fujiwara, Yukimura and Himuro set out to measure their emotional connection through oxytocin levels in various romantic scenarios. They soon realize their feelings are less intense compared to those of a confirmed couple. Chris challenges them with a key question: how will they proceed if their supposed "love" is not genuine? Determined to find a scientific explanation for their emotional gap, Yukimura takes a significant risk to demonstrate the authenticity of their relationship.

After hiring a maid named Lilith to care for him and keep his family’s mansion in order, Yuuri quickly notices she seems almost unnaturally flawless. Her cooking is consistently perfect, the house is immaculate after she cleans, and the laundry now carries an unusually pleasant fragrance. Adding to his unease are her captivating, beautiful eyes, which make Yuuri wonder if Lilith is something more than a mere maid—perhaps a witch or a sorcerer. Even with his lingering doubts, Yuuri continues to live alongside her, all the while attempting to uncover the secret behind her extraordinary talents.

This film is the sequel to Sword Art Online: Progressive - Hoshinaki Yoru no Aria. Though it appears to be a game, it is not something meant to be played. The first VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, transformed into a deadly game where death is real. More than a month has elapsed since ten thousand players were confined within its virtual realm. Asuna, having conquered the first floor of the floating iron castle Aincrad, teamed up with Kirito and pressed onward toward the highest floor. With assistance from the information broker Argo, their floor-clearing efforts appeared to be proceeding without issue—until tensions explode between two guilds that ought to be cooperating: the elite ALS (Aincrad Liberation Squad) and DKB (Dragon Knights Brigade). Meanwhile, a shadowy figure manipulates events from behind the scenes. Amid this deadly struggle, an unexpected attack—one unlike any prior danger—draws Asuna and Kirito into its path.

Even after Kyouko Honda's tragic death, her memory continues to offer comfort and guidance to those who miss her during difficult times. Yet Kyouko was not always the wise figure she is now remembered as. Feeling abandoned by her family and rejected by society, a young Kyouko leaves behind her stable life and becomes involved in delinquent behavior, putting her education and future at risk. Fortunately, her path toward ruin changes course when she unexpectedly meets her future husband, Katsuya, who has just begun his teaching internship at her school. Despite Kyouko's volatile behavior, Katsuya wins her over with his calm nature and genuine kindness—a warmth she had never known before. As their relationship deepens, Kyouko begins to share her troubled past and discovers new possibilities for her future.

In a reality where moving between closely related parallel worlds is a common occurrence, Koyomi Takasaki lives with his mother after his parents' separation and begins attending a nearby university preparatory school. Struggling with a highly competitive academic environment and his own social awkwardness, Koyomi finds it difficult to make friends. Unexpectedly, Kazune Takigawa, one of his classmates, approaches him and reveals that she comes from the 85th parallel world, where she and Koyomi are in a romantic relationship.

At age seven, Koyomi Hidake chooses to reside with his father after his parents separate. His father is employed at the Japanese Institute of Virtual Science, studying parallel worlds. Through this, Koyomi meets Shiori Satou, whose own divorced father also works as a researcher. They develop a close friendship and share much of their childhood together. As they grow older, Koyomi and Shiori's bond deepens, and they dream of marrying each other someday. Their plans are disrupted when their parents decide to wed, making them step-siblings. Unwilling to accept this, they use their parents' research to flee to a parallel world, hoping to continue their life together. Despite their efforts, obstacles threaten the future they have imagined.

In the Arisugawa household, Tsukasa and Nasa are celebrating their first year of marriage. Though they shared a fateful meeting, they missed out on the usual high school romance and wearing matching uniforms. With Aya's help, Tsukasa dons a secretary's uniform, and Nasa is overjoyed at the sight. What dramatic turn awaits the couple?

The last summer of junior high for Takagi and Nishikata is about to begin, and it is already off to a heartwarming start. When the two come across an abandoned kitten, they decide to work together to care for Hana, their adorable new companion, until they can locate its missing mother. What follows is the true beginning of this moving story of young love, filled with the delightful teasing and hilarious antics that fans have come to expect from this beloved series and its cast of favorite characters.

The Bernstein family has long been renowned within the Sauslind Kingdom for their profound love of literature. Elianna Bernstein, the daughter of a baron, upholds this tradition and is widely known as the Bibliophile Princess. Four years ago, Crown Prince Christopher Selkirk Asherald proposed to Elianna under unusual terms: if she agreed to become his betrothed, he would grant her unrestricted access to the royal archives, a vast collection of books. Although marrying into royalty came with heavy responsibilities, Elianna accepted the arrangement, driven by her passion for reading. Elianna remains convinced that her engagement to Christopher lacks any romantic feelings. This belief is strengthened when she notices him spending time with another girl, leading her to expect their relationship will eventually end. However, as uncertainties arise, Elianna and Christopher begin a journey toward mutual understanding, slowly discovering genuine emotions for one another.

On a sweltering summer day in Kyoto, a college student returns to his dormitory, intending to escape the heat with the air conditioner. His plans go awry when Ozu accidentally spills soda on the remote, breaking it and leaving the air conditioner useless. He and his roommates are then forced to endure the oppressive August heat. As their irritation grows, the group discovers a genuine time machine hidden in their storage closet. Ignoring the potential dangers, they choose to travel back in time to prevent Ozu from damaging the remote. Their effort, however, plunges them into an unexpected and chaotic chain of events.

In "Tokyo Mew Mew New," Ichigo Momomiya is thrilled to begin high school and hopes for a romantic connection. That wish seems to come true when she meets the handsome and gentle Masaya Aoyama, quickly developing feelings for him. Learning about Aoyama’s dedication to environmental issues, Ichigo uses tickets to an exhibition on endangered animals to invite him on a date. The outing takes a strange turn when Ichigo is hit by a mysterious beam of light and loses consciousness. Waking up, she finds Aoyama unharmed, but they are forced to flee from a monstrous, rat-like creature that injures him. Trying to protect Aoyama, Ichigo discovers her hidden abilities and transforms into a hero with cat-like powers. After defeating the monster, scientists Ryou Shirogane and Keiichiro Akasaka explain that Ichigo was chosen for the Mew Project, which fuses the DNA of five magical girls with endangered animals to form a team. Her mission is to find the other members and fight the Chimera Anima—monsters created by alien forces seeking to conquer the world. Time is running out for Ichigo and her yet-to-be-discovered teammates.

Hisoka grew up under the care of Yukitaka, the current head of the global Jinsei Corporation, with assistance from Yukitaka's trusted lieutenant Daisuke. He was taken in specifically to serve his daughter Orihime—both openly and in secret—as she was destined to take over the family business. So when Yukitaka asked him to enroll at the same school as Orihime and act as her covert bodyguard, he accepted without hesitation. The complication was that her school was the prestigious Saint Ceral Girls' Academy, a place strictly off-limits to boys. At the time, he had no idea that this decision would become a pivotal moment in his life.

A special TV anime episode celebrating the series' tenth anniversary and the Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love ST☆RISH Tours film. The members of ST☆RISH have worked hard for their devoted fans around the globe, and they earn a well-deserved rest before setting off on their next big adventure.