Valentine’s Day is a time for love and romance, but if you’re an anime geek and flowers and chocolates aren’t your thing, then you could consider a night of anime. Just a warning – as with real love, not all of them have a happy ending. Here are some of the best anime for Valentine’s Day.
Kimi ni Todoke
One of the sweetest high school romances in the last few years is Kimi ni Todoke. For most of her life, Sawako Kuronuma has been alone because of her looks. She so closely resembles the girl that climbs out of the well in “The Ring” that everyone calls her Sadako. No one ever talks to her for fear of becoming cursed. This excludes Shouta Kazehaya, the most popular guy in school, who starts talking to her. For someone who always wanted a friend, Sawako is overjoyed. However, years of isolation left her ignorant of the complexities of friendships, let alone Shouta’s hints of affection. Kimi ni Todoke is a great anime showcasing just what exactly it means to fall in love.
Toradora
Sometimes life doesn’t go exactly the way you plan. Taiga found that out the hard way when she tried to give a love letter to a boy in her class. Instead of placing the letter in Yuusaku Kitamura’s bag, she accidentally places it into Ryuuji Takasu’s bag. To make matters worse, when she sneaks into Ryuuji’s room to “beat the memory of the letter out of his head”, she trips and falls. Moreover, she finds out that she actually forgot to put the letter in the envelope. After a short discussion, Taiga and Ryuuji find out they have a crush on each other’s best friend, and plot to help each other out. After several failed attempts, the two realize that perhaps they were looking for love in the wrong place.
Kaichou wa Maid-sama
Girls who work in maid cafés often get unwanted attention, but for Misaki Ayuzawa, there are some people who she definitely doesn’t want to find out about her job. Since she is the student council president at a school that is 80% male, she has an image to uphold not only as an authority figure, but as the protector of the outnumbered female students. Things take a turn for the worse when one of the more troublesome boys, Takumi Usui, discovers her part-time job. Strangely, rather than telling the whole school, he keeps the secret to himself. In fact, he even visits the maid café every day just to see Misaki. Takumi turns out to be someone Misaki can trust soon after others discover her secret job.
Hatsukoi Limited
Ask anyone about their first love and they’ll tell you about it like it were just yesterday. Sometimes the one you fall in love with is someone totally unexpected, and sometimes it’s so obvious that two people should be together that you wonder what’s taking them so long. Hatsukoi Limited is all about a series of first loves wound up into one short story.
Ef: A Tale of Memories
People say that love comes from the heart, so would it make a difference if you couldn’t remember anything for more than 13 hours? Chihiro Shindou was in a life-altering car accident that left her with a major disability: only being able to remember things for 13 hours. When Renji Asou meets Chihiro at an abandoned train station and discovers her disability, he decides to help find a way to overcome her problem and fulfill her dream of writing a novel.
Ef: A Tale of Melodies
A spinoff series from Ef: A Tale of Memories, Melodies is similar in that another character is caught between love and fate. Kuze Shuuichi might come across as someone who plays around. But because of a fatal illness, plus the fact that he does not have long to live, he avoids forming any deep relationships. He accepts his fate until one day, he meets Mizuki Hayama, who takes an interest in him.
Clannad
Tomoya Okazaki never thought much about life. He only goes to school when he feels like it, and never once shows any dreams or aspirations. One day he meets an odd girl by the name of Nagisa Furukawa, who suddenly declares their friendship. As Tomoya gets closer to Nagisa and other girls at school, he soon discovers that maybe there is some purpose to life, and that the future may be brighter than he thought. After helping several girls and Nagisa with their problems, he starts to realize that perhaps he might have feelings for one of them beyond friendship.
School Rumble
Kenji Harima and Tenma Tsukamoto are probably some of the densest people in the world. So when one likes the other, it can be difficult to get the message across. To Kenji, Tenma is like a goddess, but things never go right when he’s around her. One failed confession after another leads Kenji down a pit of depression that lands him in some of the most outrageous situations you can imagine. Despite all of his hardships, he never gives up, always aiming to one day make Tenma realize his feelings.
Kanon
After seven years away, Yuuichi Aizawa returns to a wintery town to stay with his aunt due to circumstances at home. His cousin Nayuki is there to greet him, but there are others in the town who he locked away deep in his memories. As he starts to meet people at school and around the neighborhood, his memories of them slowly return and long-forgotten secrets are revealed. There is one girl, however, with a secret that may be better left buried.
Nodame Cantabile
While Nodame Cantabile is more inclined towards music than romance, it does portray the growing relationship between two aspiring musicians. Shinichi Chiaki is a top-class pianist and violinist who wants to play in Europe. However, due to his fear of flying and the sea, he is unable to leave Japan. When Megumi Noda moves into the apartment next to his and hears her playing the piano, he feels a sense of admiration and jealousy. Shinichi’s emotions get even more mixed up when Megumi makes her feelings known and starts referring to herself as his wife.
5 Centimeters per Second
Produced by the famous Makoto Shinkai, 5 Centimeters per Second is a visually stunning movie that delves into the thoughts and feelings associated with love. Takaki Tohno has been exchanging letters with his childhood friend, Akari Shinohara, for years until they finally have a chance to meet up again. On his way to meet her, thoughts of Akari run through Takaki’s mind as a blizzard threatens to cancel their first meeting in 13 years.
Lovely Complex
We’ve all heard the saying that opposites attract, and Lovely Complex certainly makes you believe so. Atsushi Ootani is on his school’s basketball team. Because he is shorter than the average boy his age, he is often made fun of, resulting in a height complex. Risa Koizumi stands nearly half a foot higher than other girls her age, and has a crush on Atsushi. When you pair the diminutive Atsushi with towering Risa, you get one comedic, but cute couple.
Ouran High School Host Club
Haruhi Fujioka is the recipient of a full scholarship to Ouran Academy, a school for the children of the country’s wealthiest and most influential families. One day she accidently breaks an expensive vase, and is forced to pay for it. Consequently, he starts working as a male host in the Ouran Host Club. Despite being around the hottest guys in the academy, Haruhi remains unfazed. However, the same can’t be said about the other hosts.
Itazura na Kiss
Kotoko Aihara has a long time crush on Naoki Irie. Now that they are in their final year, she still isn’t close to him. The problem lies in Naoki always being placed in class A, which is reserved for the brightest students. On the other hand, Kotoko is always stuck in class F, reserved for the lowest-performing students. That all changes when Kotoko’s home falls apart, and her family ends up moving in with the Irie’s. Now is her chance to finally get close to the boy she has admired for nearly 3 years.
Here are some geeky Valentine’s Day gifts you should check out!
Check out these romantic anime for Valentine’s Day!
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