Best Romance Anime With Adult Protagonists

Key Takeaways

• Anime often focuses on young love, but mature romance stories with older protagonists are available, too.
• Shows like Nodame Cantabile, Wotakoi, and After The Rain depict romance beyond high school.
• Themes of moving on after grief, embracing weirdness, and second chances are explored in these shows.

Anime is one of Japan’s biggest exports and has grown in acceptance within the society itself. That said, most forms of anime still seek to appeal to a younger demographic. Therefore, a lot of the romance shows feature high schoolers experiencing first love.

This means that finding a romance story geared more towards older audiences or featuring older protagonists isn’t very common, but there are some excellent examples where this has been done excellently. So, for those who seek a romance without the high school hijinks, there are several great options to choose from.

9 Nodame Cantabile

A Mature Romance Between Two Geniuses

Genius comes in different forms, and so it is with the protagonists of this show, Noda Megumi and Chiaki Shinichi. The former is a slob who likes to play her music by ear with the freedom that enables her to express herself, while Chiaki is a talented maestro who is a stickler for the rules.

Nodame Cantabile is a classic case of opposites attract, and it really shines in the amazing musical score. The relationship troubles that Noda and Shinichi face are also very relatable, as the two struggle to fully accept one another.

8 Natsuyuki Rendezvous

Choosing Between Letting Go And Moving On

Grief is a subject that is sometimes tackled in anime. An example is Your Lie in April, where Arima had to contend with his mother’s death. In Natsuyuki Rendezvous, Shimao Rokka runs a flower shop and soon has Hazuki Ryousuke working with her. Hazuki is in love with Rokka, but there is only one problem: Her dead husband is still by her side as a ghost.

The anime does feature some comedy, as Hazuki is the only one who sees Rokka’s husband, and a lot ensues from this. The romance is a love triangle with a supernatural twist. On top of this, the mature themes of moving on after death and growing up to become a person with a direction really lends a greater stature to the story.

7 I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying

Short, Sweet, And Relatable

Kaoru is a workaholic career woman while her husband, Hajime, is a hardcore otaku who left the traditional workplace to make a living off his blog. The show centers on Kaoru and how she navigates life with a husband who has hobbies that she doesn’t understand.

Each episode of the show is just about 3 minutes, which makes it an easy watch, and while the content is wholesome, it also tackles some prevalent themes like loneliness, the troubles connected with preparing to have a kid, and connecting with a partner.

6 Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me

The Desire To Move Forward

Sing “Yesterday” For Me came out in 2020, and it flew under the radar a bit for that season. Part of the problem was that, for those who watched it, they were split. Everyone agrees that it’s a great show, but some were less than pleased with how it ended.

The story follows Uozumi, a convenience store clerk who is feeling stuck in life. An encounter with an old flame makes him want to rekindle their relationship, but things get complicated. Regardless of its ending, this show portrays some of the anxieties of adulthood really well as the characters look to go beyond their comfort zones.

5 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku

An Endearing Office Romance

Narumi starts at a new job determined to hide the fact that she is an otaku, only to meet an old friend, Hirotaka, also an otaku. The two start dating and have to figure out how to navigate romance being the types of people they are.

Wotakoi at heart, is all about embracing one’s weirdness. In a society like Japan’s, which is not always so welcoming to people with otaku interests, finding someone who loves the same things is always welcome. The anime also features some really cool side characters, which ramps up the romance and adds some much-needed humor.

4 Spice And Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf

Where Economics Meets Romance

Spice And Wolf is one of those shows that every veteran anime fan speaks of a little wistfully, which is why when it was announced that there would be a 2024 adaptation, there were celebrations in the streets. The show is about the developing relationship between Lawrence, a traveling merchant, and Holo, a wolf deity who wants to go back to her home.

The show features a lot of talk about economics, and yet, it is not boring in any way. The main draw is the growing romance between the two travelers and the adventures they go on during their journey. Holo turns out to be a very resourceful partner, and the suspense that comes with them trying to ensure that they don’t go broke makes for a riveting watch.

3 Wave, Listen To Me!

A Show About The Realities Of Adulthood

To be fair, Wave Listen To Me! isn’t a show that focuses on romance too much and is much more concerned about Minare’s life, eccentricities, and the weirdness of late-night radio.

That said, it is an issue with romance that got Minare where she was in the first place. Suffering from a bad breakup, Minare goes on a drunken rant at a bar only to hear her rant on radio the next day. Wave Listen To Me! tells a very relatable tale of second chances and the weird ways people get into the things they love.

2 ReLIFE

A Chance For A Do-Over Also Works Out As A Chance At Love

ReLIFE takes the classic trope of someone getting a do-over in life to the anime format. 27-year-old Arata is simply coasting through life, going through a string of jobs without any real direction. Then, he has a chance to get a do-over with the help of a strange new pill.

ReLIFE is something of a cheat entry, as the protagonist is by all means an adult, but it is still something of a high school romance. Still, since adults are involved with their memories still intact, Arata conducts himself as one.

1 After The Rain

A Very Mature Take On A Controversial Premise

After The Rain features, as its two protagonists, a 17-year-old girl and a 45-year-old man. This already sounds like a disaster. However, After The Rain manages to do a good job; while it initially seems like the story will follow this romance, what ends up happening is a masterful unraveling of pent up pain, which is slowly healed.

The young Akira and the much older Kondou both help each other in a difficult time in their lives, and fans will see that the show in no way condones huge age gaps in relationships. The maturity with which the story is told makes it a great watch for fans of more contemplative stories.