10 Best Romance Anime of 2023

Overall, 2023 has been a great year for anime. Many incredible titles have come and gone in the past year, but some of the most popular anime of 2023 have, curiously enough, been in the romance genre.

Romance anime has long since been a favorite genre among anime fans all across the globe, and this year has been nothing short of overwhelming proof of that. Tons of romance anime have made their debut in 2023, but this list will only highlight the best of the best.

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!

Image Source: Aniplex of America via Crunchyroll

Tomo-chan Is a Girl is a fantastic anime that made its debut in early January of 2023. This anime quickly won over the hearts of romance fans everywhere with its comedic dialogue and adorable characters; not to mention its tantalizing slow-burn romance!

The romance in Tomo-chan Is a Girl may be of the slow-burn variety, but at no point in the anime do you ever feel like you’re waiting around for the action to happen. The comedy, day-to-day drama, and relatable characters will have you on the edge of your seat for the entire wild ride!

Tomo-chan Is a Girl is a comedic rom-com anime about a tomboy, Tomo, who is in love with her childhood friend, Junichiro. Their bond as friends and her habit of dressing like her male peers prevents Junichiro from seeing her as anything else but “one of the guys”. Tomo’s desperation to get Junichiro to realize her feelings becomes stronger and stronger the longer he refuses to acknowledge the fact that she’s a fully-fledged woman now; will he ever be able to open his eyes to her desires??

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts

Image Source: PONY CANYON INC. via IMDB

As you may have already guessed by its title, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts is a bit of an unorthodox romance anime, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less entertaining and downright romantic than any of the other entries on this list!

This anime is the perfect choice for anyone who used to love watching Beauty and the Beast as a kid (especially if you’re like me and thought the Beast looked better before he turned back into a human). This anime follows the story of a calm and caring young woman, Sariphi, and Leonhart, the King of Beasts.

In Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, a barbaric tradition was born in a land where demons walked among human beings, but not as equals; every year, a sacrifice must be made to the King of Beasts in order to keep the peace. Sariphi is offered to the King of Beasts as the 99th sacrifice of this terrible, century-long tradition, but this time, the King of Beasts shocks everyone by making her his consort instead! Their relationship may not be the most orthodox, but their love for each other grows with every moment they spend together.

I’m in Love with the Villainess

Image Source: asmikace via IMDB

I’m in Love with the Villainess is inarguably one of the best romance anime of 2023. Seriously, if you like romance, then you need to watch this anime; it’s one of those shows that will live rent-free in your brain (and your heart) for literally the rest of time.

I’m in Love with the Villainess captured the hearts of many around the world when it first made its debut in October 2023. Its unforgettable story paired with its tantalizing romantic plot made for the perfect storm of romance and intimacy, ensnaring the hearts and souls of all who watched it.

This endearing romantic comedy follows the story of a corporate slave (oops I meant to say employee) who mysteriously wakes up as Rae Taylor, the gorgeous heroine of her favorite otome game. Rather than succumb to feelings of pure terror, or, at the very least, confusion, she is delighted at the opportunity to finally court her in-game crush, Claire François. The only problem is, Claire François is the game’s main female villain, and won’t be easy to romance. Rae is more than up to the task, however, and will do everything in her power to make the villainess fall for her!

The Dangers in My Heart

Image Source: Seven Seas Entertainment via IMDB

If you’re not really a huge fan of traditional romance anime and are looking for something new, then The Dangers in My Heart should be at the top of your watch list! The Dangers in My Heart is the perfectly odd blend of romantic subplots and psychological thriller, which isn’t usually a common combination as far as romance anime goes.

This anime will make you scream, laugh uncontrollably, and leave you in tears by the time you finish watching it. Everything about this anime will leave you on the edge of your seat; be sure to clear your schedule before you start watching this. The Dangers in My Heart follows the story of a young boy, Ichikawa Kyoutarou, as he tries to navigate his way through his daily life as his school’s most unpopular kid.

As bad as that sounds, it doesn’t even hold a candle to the dark desires manifesting themselves in Ichikawa’s mind; he can’t help but fantasize about disrupting his classmates’ peaceful lives with horrible crimes, even murder! The most recent object of his dark fascination comes in the form of Yamada Anna, the most popular girl in school. But as he begins to spend more time around her, he realizes that they’re really not so different from each other, and his evil fantasies gradually give way to something more… romantic.

(alternate synopsis: awkward emo kid becomes entranced by popular girl’s mega mommy milkers and accidentally falls in love)

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You

Image Source: Bandai Visual via Crunchyroll

If you couldn’t already guess by its title and cover image, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You is a harem anime. Regardless of whether or not harems are your cup of tea, this anime is delightfully adorable and its romantic narrative has already stolen the hearts of romance fans everywhere!

Commonly referred to as simply “The 100 Girlfriends”, this anime has more hot girls in it than a Sephora during a holiday sale. If you’re a fan of short skirts, big boobs, and comically long eyelashes, then The 100 Girlfriends is the perfect addition to your anime collection!

The 100 Girlfriends is a show about Rentaro Aijo, a hopeless romantic who has been rejected a whopping 100 times before he even hit High School. Feeling pathetic, he decides to visit a shrine and pray for better luck in his high school love life, but he could have never expected what happened next: an actual, honest-to-god (pun intended) God of Love appears before him! The God of Love promises that he’ll soon meet the 100 girls he’s destined to date, but there’s a catch: he has to love all of them with everything he’s got, or else they’ll die a lonely, premature death!

BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- Season 2

Image Source: Sunrise via IMDB

Birdie Wing is perfect for fans of sports anime and romance anime alike! This anime perfectly combines all of the best elements from both genres to create the most romantic, sports-based narrative of all time.

(What’s even more exciting is the fact that this anime actually just got a video game adaptation as well! You can check it out on Nintendo Switch for the low, low price of only $19.99! [worth it])

Regardless of whether or not you’re actually into sports, the anime itself is worth watching 1,000 times over. Birdie Wing masterfully takes the most boring sport ever created, Golf, and actually turns it into something worth watching, which is an amazing feat in and of itself.

This anime follows the slow-burn love story between Eve and Aoi, two up-and-coming pro golfers who can’t help but compete against each other every chance they get. The only thing stronger than their rivalry is their dreams of becoming the greatest pro golfers the world has ever seen; but will they be able to remain rivals once they finally begin to reach the top, or will their respect for one another turn their relationship into something more?

My New Boss Is Goofy

Image Source: Aniplex of America via IMDB

If you’re looking for a goofy, light-hearted, entirely unproblematic anime to binge-watch this year, then you’ve found it in My New Boss is Goofy! This series is easily one of the greatest comedic office bromance anime of 2023; it’ll tug at your heartstrings, bring tears to your eyes, and make you laugh until you barf all at the same time!

High-school romances are great and all, but where’s the love for the middle-aged corporate slaves furiously laboring under capitalism? Past-their-prime businessmen in their 30s need love too! This anime follows the lovely lives of Momose and Shirosaki, two middle-aged salarymen just trying to (fall in love) navigate the wonderful world of business sales and advertising.

My New Boss is Goofy is about an insecure businessman, Momose, and his goofy new boss, Shirosaki. After leaving his old job at some worthless company and an even more worthless boss, Momose is worried that his new boss at his shiny new professional prison will be even worse than his last. Thankfully, however, Shirosaki endeavors to not only put his worries to rest, but to also test out the boundaries of his heart. Although their maybe-love story is a sweet one, good luck focusing on it because this anime has more DILFs than a Dick’s Sporting Goods on Black Friday.

Skip and Loafer

Image Source: Kodansha Ltd. via Crunchyroll

If you’re a fan of the “country character falls in love with city character” dynamic, then you need to go watch Skip and Loafer, pronto. This coming-of-age romantic comedy will leave your heart, and your sides, in stitches with its comedic dialogue and adorably innocent romance!

Skip and Loafer is a slice-of-life anime that combines the nostalgic, carefree nature of old-school shojo anime with refreshingly simple yet modern animation styles and character portrayals. It’s like the coming-of-age anime we all needed but never got while growing up!

Skip and Loafer is a beautifully written story about a young girl, Mitsumi, trying to find her place in the world. Mitsumi is an incredibly intelligent young woman with big dreams who grew up in the middle of nowhere. Despite her meager beginnings, she dreams of moving to the big city of Tokyo to attend a prestigious school so that she can change the world for the better! Once she gets there, however, she finally realizes just how big the world she lives in really is. Thankfully, however, her new classmate Shima is by her side to help her every step of the way.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague

Image Source: ABC Asahi via IMDB

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague, while having a mouthful of a title, is widely considered to be one of the greatest romance anime of 2023. This anime truly has it all: love, comedy, drama, snow spirits; what else could you possibly ask for??

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague combines office romance with mild supernatural elements, making it an entertaining yet easy-to-swallow narrative. The laidback pacing of this anime is slower than other romances, but it still endeavors to never lose its audience’s attention. Regardless of where the main love interests are at in their relationship, you’ll never get bored of watching the hilarious and lively interactions between this anime’s cast!

Himuro, the main character, is a slightly awkward guy just trying to be an efficient employee at his job. This is made difficult, however, by the fact that he’s a direct descendant of a powerful snow spirit; whenever he becomes involved in an emotionally charged event, his emotions cause him to lose control of his powers, giving a whole new meaning to “freezing up” in emotional situations. His calm and pretty coworker, Fuyutsuki, seems to be the target of these snowy outbursts as of late, leading to many hilarious misunderstandings and incidents.

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses

Image Source: Showgate via Crunchyroll

We’re ending this list off with a big, near-sighted bang! The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses is inarguably one of the most popular slice-of-life anime to come out in 2023. This anime first debuted in July of 2023 and its popularity has only skyrocketed since!

As you could likely glean from its title, this anime is about a cute girl who forgets her glasses. Like, a lot. So much so that she begins to rely solely on a boy from her class, Kaede Komura, just to get through her school day; this anime will resonate with romance lovers and glasses-wearers (and glasses-forgetters) everywhere!

Although Kaede is over the moon at the chance to have more one-on-one time with his secret crush, he almost can’t help but feel like she’s beginning to forget her glasses on purpose… or is she? Will their budding romance bloom into something beautiful, or will it turn out as terrible as Ai Mie’s eyesight??

No matter what romance anime captured your heart in 2023, you’ll always have more to look forward to next year! If you want to stay at the forefront of all of 2024’s impending anime, then be sure to keep up with Twinfinite’s comprehensive list of “All Anime Release Dates in 2024“!