Best Shojo Romance Anime, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Shojo & Josei romance explore deep emotions & personal growth of female characters in pure feel-good stories.
• Popular tropes like shy girl-popular guy dynamic seen in shojo & josei, but each story is unique.
• Slow-burn romances in shojo & josei shows offer delicate, heartwarming journeys of love & self-discovery.

Shojo and josei romance are often underrated compared to their shonen counterpart. They’re known for slow-burn relationships and unrequited love, but that doesn’t mean the romance is something to bring into question. Shojo and Josei, shojo’s more “mature” counterpart, bring out the inner workings of female characters as they fall in love.

Though not exclusively, shojo and josei are told from the perspective of female characters as they grow as people. Many popular tropes, like the shy girl falling for the popular guy, are seen in shojo and josei romance titles, but the stories are vastly different. Shojo and josei romance are typically pure, feel-good stories with dreamy male leads.

Updated November 5, 2024, by Oluwatokiloba Folami: With Shojo literally meaning “young girl” in Japanese, this genre of anime targets young women with themes of love and romance. Oftentimes, Shojo anime series focuses on character development and blossoming love between their characters, and with diverse storylines and unique takes, various series have managed to stand out.

Shows like Orange and My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999 have long made their mark among shojo fans and serve as entertaining masterpieces for fans who are new to the genre, while shows like The Do-Over Damsel Conquers The Dragon Emperor are new takes on the shojo genre that allow long-time shojo fans to enjoy what they enjoy best.

26 3D Kanojo: Real Girl

Finding Strength In Vulnerability

When it comes to pitting an extroverted female with an introverted male, few do it like 3D Kanojo: Real Girl. This anime series is highly acclaimed for its friendship, romantic, and self-development themes. At the center of the show lies Iroha Igarashi, a girl widely known to everyone at school, and Hikari Tsutsui, an extremely introverted boy.

Hikari is often chastised by his classmates for his quirky behavior and prefers to interact with 2D characters in video games and anime, but with the 3D girl who forces him out of his comfort zone again and again, he begins to discover feelings he never knew he had, and 3D characters don’t seem that bad after all.

25 Lovely Complex

A Love Story Blossoms By Breaking Stereotypes

A mismatched duo featuring a girl at 5 ft 7in and a guy at 5 ft 1in seem unlikely to fall in love with each other; however, love is all about exploring the unknown and certainly much more than who’s the taller one. This reality sets in on Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Ootani, who find solace in each other, particularly as their crushes fall in love.

While many might consider them mismatched, Koizumi and Atsushi come together, finding values and similarities they respect in one another. But deemed mismatched by outside influence, the blooming love they have for one another is tested by their own feelings and outside influences, which hold much more weight than they’d like to admit.

24 The Do-Over Damsel Conquers The Dragon Emperor

A Second Chance At Love And Legacy

Mortal enemies getting reincarnated to face each other once again is not unheard of; however, The Do-Over Damsel Conquers The Dragon Emperor portrays a unique twist. In her new life, Jill Savelle, a damsel who was formerly betrayed and framed by her fiancée, Gerald de Kleitos, proposes to a supposedly villainous dragon emperor, Hadis Teos Rave.

However, unlike what she’d heard in her last life, Jill sees a different side of the tyrant emperor than what she remembers and seeks to prevent him from engulfing the kingdom in madness once more. But changing the strings of fate wouldn’t be so easy.

23 From Up On Poppy Hill

Unraveling Past Connections Through Shared Bonds

Studio Ghibli is well known for its distinct art and traditional drawn animation. Among many of their masterpieces lies this masterpiece. From Up On Poppy Hill features Umi Matsuzaki, a young girl who, with the rest of her schoolmates, tries to stop the destruction of an old clubhouse.

During the many activities she carries out in trying to stop the demolishing of the clubhouse, she meets Shun Kazama, a charming young lad who turns out to be an orphan. Together, the duo looks into Shun’s origins and finds out that they’re not as different as they thought, but this truth could eventually threaten their status as budding lovers.

22 A Sign Of Affection

Love That Conquers Communication Barriers

The beauty of love is that it comes when one least expects it, and Yuki definitely did not expect love or romance in her life, especially as someone who is deaf. Yuki is used to communicating with sign language or through her phone, and the moment a tourist asks her directions, she panics. Luckily, the tourist is not left stranded, as Itsuomi steps in to offer help. As someone who is bilingual, he speaks to the tourist in English, and when he learns that Yuki is deaf, he is drawn to her and her method of communication.

Yuki and Itsuomi’s lives get intertwined after their encounter on the train, and he starts learning sign language so that he can better communicate with her. Yuki, on the other hand, is scared of opening herself up to experience what could happen with Itsuomi. This anime tugs at the hearts of viewers as it follows the pair’s delicate and heartwarming journey into experiencing and exploring their feelings towards each other.

21 Yona Of The Dawn

Showcases The Gradual Process Of Love

Yona lived a protected life as her dad, King II of the Sky Tribe, took it upon himself to protect her from the realities of life. Yona’s existence was sheltered, but she was not sheltered away from love, as she had a massive crush on her cousin, Su-won. Yona was basically in love with him, which was why her heart was shattered when she watched him kill her dad. Not only had she lost her dad, but the person she loved the most was responsible, and she had to leave the life she had known to survive.

One thing about love is that, sometimes, it can be right in front of a person, and that person will not know it. As Yona flees with Hak, her childhood best friend, she starts to see him in a different light. This anime shows how their love for each other grows as they go through trials and tribulations while they try to restore peace to their world.

20 Skip Beat

A Quest For Revenge Turns Into A Slow-Burn Romance

Kyouka realizes that she has overestimated her role in her friend Shou’s life when she overhears him referring to her as nothing short of a maid. Kyouka has been going above and beyond, working multiple jobs to support Shou’s journey to stardom. Upon hearing what he thought of her, not only was she heartbroken, but she was also betrayed because she loved him. So she sought out revenge instead.

Kyouka goes into the entertainment industry, just like Shou, with the aim of becoming more popular than him. In the industry, she meets Ren Tsuruga, and although she is more focused on her plan, their constant interaction ignites the fire for a budding romance between them. That fire burned slowly, but as they say, slow and steady wins the race.

19 Ouran High School Host Club

From An Errand Girl To The President’s Girlfriend

Haruhi finds herself in a sticky situation after mistakenly destroying an antique worth millions. This beloved antique belongs to the Host Club, and they demand repayment even though it was not really Haruhi’s fault. After being made to join the club as an errand guy to answer their beck and call, all seems to be well again, until these boys notice that Haruhi seems to be attracting a lot of girls into the club, making the guys extremely happy.

These girls think Haruhi is a guy, but only the members of the host club know the truth about her gender. Haruhi spends a lot of time with these boys and significantly changes their lives, and soon after, Tamaki starts having feelings for her, and Haruhi feels the same way. At first, they were oblivious to the fact that they both had romantic feelings for each other, but it only took a while before they finally confessed to each other.

18 Fruits Basket

A Curse Cannot Stop True Love From Prevailing

Life came at Tohru fast because, after losing her mother, she ended up homeless. Luckily, her grandfather takes her in, but because of a remodel, she finds herself living in a tent in the forest. After she loses her tent, the Sohma family takes her in, and while living with them, she finds herself getting intertwined with the family secret and falling for Kyo Sohma.

The Sohma family is cursed with the spirits of the Chinese zodiac. When Kyo transforms into a cat in Tohru’s presence, she does not run away from him but embraces his state, which resonates greatly with Kyo. Soon after, these two start getting closer, and a romantic bond between them forms.

17 Wolf Girl And Black Prince

A Fake Relationship Turns Official

Erika badly wants to fit in among her friends, and without thinking or paying attention to her lies, she tells her friends she has a boyfriend. It would have made sense for Erika to pull out the picture of an unknown person, but because she put no thought into her lie, the unknown person she shows her friends turns out to be Kyouya.

Stuck in a sticky situation, Erika meets Kyouya and begs him to go along with her lie. He agrees, but not without subjecting her to humiliation and treating her like a dog. However, this was only for a while, as genuine feelings began to bloom. This once-fake relationship turned out to be the real deal as they began to harbor romantic feelings for each other.

16 Kiss Him, Not Me!

One Girl, Five Admirers

Ironically, Kae’s life turns around for good after her favorite character gets killed off, pushing her into a depressive state for a week. After getting over the character’s death, she emerges from her room as a new person. She had shed all of her weight and emerged as a slim and attractive girl.

Kae enjoys imagining boys together romantically, and when she catches the attention of five guys in school, she is frustrated because she wants them to chase each other, not her. However, all these boys had no interest in Kae before her weight loss, except for Mutsumi. Mustumi’s love for Kae never wavered, weight gain or weight loss. Soon after, Kae catches herself falling for Mutsumi, and they soon begin dating.

15 My Little Monster

Opposites Attract

Shizuku Mizutani is cornered by Haru Yoshida on her way out of the classroom after her teacher asks her to bring handouts to Haru Yoshida’s home. Haru takes an instant liking to her when she is on her way out of the classroom.

It is said that Haru is a delinquent, while Shizuku is a studious hermit who is frequently referred to as “dry-ice” by her peers. There is no doubt that this love story about opposites attracting will make anime fans giggle.

14 Kimi Ni Todoke

The Outcast And The Popular Student

Kimi Ni Todoke is a classic for a reason. It follows an outcast, Sawako Kuronuma, as she makes friends and experiences a new side of school with the help of a heartthrob, Shota Kazehaya. Together, the two change Sawako’s reputation and fall for each other on the way.

Nominated for “Couple Ship of The Decade” at the 2020 Anime Trending Awards, Kimi Ni Todoke is as memorable as it is sweet.

13 Maid Sama!

A Special Bond Formed Because Of A Secret

High school student council president, Misaki Azuyawa, isn’t all that she appears. Despite her reputation as a “man-hater,” one put on many of those who fight for gender equality, Misaki also works at a maid cafe to help support her family. When a popular guy, Takumi Usui discovers her position, he decides to keep her secret. Now with a special bond, the two get closer as they navigate high school, social life, and work.

Maid Sama! is another classic shojo romance for the books. It is available to stream on Hidive.

12 My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999

A Breakup Revenge Plan Takes A Romantic Turn

Following the breakup of her relationship with her partner, Akane Kinoshita, a college student, she makes an attempt to make him jealous by using a third party. The person who appeared to be a stranger turned out to be Akito Yamada, a competitive gamer. Soon after, the two individuals come to the realization that they share a similar ground, and they start to develop affection for one another.

This modern rendition of shojo is a slow burn that is well worth the time it takes to watch.

11 Say “I Love You”

Loner Girl And Popular Guy Get Together

Say “I Love You” is a version that is softer and less explicit than the manga of the same name, which came with a rating of R. As Mei Tachibana, a reclusive girl, and Yamato Kurosawa, a popular guy, come to know each other, the story chronicles their relationship of getting to know each other.

Within the framework of a high school setting, this anime delves into topics such as bullying, love, and the attraction between opposites. The original video animation (OVA) and 13 episodes of this series are currently available to watch online.

10 Blue Spring Ride

Old Feelings Spring Up Even After Years Of Distance

While Futaba Yashioka was in middle school, she developed a connection with Kou Tanaka. Despite the fact that their relationship was short-lived owing to Kou Tanaka’s relocation to Nagasaki, he became her first love. She meets a new version of Kou on the first day of high school, and he meets a new version of her.

Both of them are on the same page. Are they going to be able to see through one other’s new social masks and come back to the feelings they had in the past?

9 My Love Story!!

Knight In Shining Armor

Takeo Goda is an unconventional male lead for a romantic comedy, especially a shojo, but he hits his point in more ways than one. The moment that Takeo saves the timid Rinko Yamato from a pervert on the train, the two of them immediately become friends.

The only difficulty is that Takeo thinks Rinko has a crush on his best friend. When it comes to romantic comedies, this is the kind of feel-good comedy that makes shojo exceptional.

8 The Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague

A Man Who Turns To Ice And A Woman Who Can Unfreeze Ice

In a world where descendants of yokai coexist with regular humans, Fuyutsuki offers assistance to a guy who is frozen to the ground while she is on her way to work. It won’t be long before she runs into him once more, as they both work at the same office.

Does his tendency to expel his feelings have the potential to impede the development of their budding romance? The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague is a josei romantic comedy that follows the relationship between two coworkers.

7 Kamisama Kiss

Complete Opposites Cannot Do Without One Another

The iconic shojo romance anime known as Kamisama Kiss follows the protagonist, Nanami Momozono, as she embarks on a mystical journey from being a homeless high school student to becoming a land god. Tomoe, a yokai, is the first person that Nanami encounters when she arrives at her new shrine.

Nanami and Tomoe are polar opposites, but they gradually come to rely on each other due to their shared experiences.