Old Romance Anime That Need Remakes

Key Takeaways

• Anime romance often follows a predictable formula with interesting twists, leaving fans wanting more.
• Some iconic romance anime may benefit from remakes to update animation or modernize storylines.
• Rebooting classic romance anime with tweaks like age changes or shared universes can bring in new and old fans.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – two main characters have a meet-cute and fall in love somewhat unexpectedly. Their relationship hits a few rough patches here and there, but they move past it all and wind up together in the end. This is how romance stories typically go in just about every medium they are told in. Well, anime seems to understand this formula, employing it, while also incorporating interesting wrinkles that, more often than not, leave viewers wanting more.

The older the anime is, though, the more likely it may have one, two, or a number of things baked into it that would benefit from a redo. It could be something as simple as fixing up its animation, but there also could be a problem at the core of the show’s premise that, if changed in a remake, could make the show perfect for viewers in a modern age.

1 His and Her Circumstances

Has A Slightly Dated Art Style

His and Her Circumstances is a wonderfully fresh take on the class rep trope that is common in anime. This time, though, both parties are in the position, with the show focusing on a one-sided rivalry between them, as well as the philosophical nature of what amounts to a Tsundere’s denial of their love.

This anime was directed by Hideaki Anno, of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame. As such, on top of things like the interesting depictions MC Yukino’s perceived grandeur, there are many gorgeous establishing shots throughout the show. Something that would benefit from the type of facelift that the rebuilds of EVA got not too long ago.

2 My Wife Is a High School Girl

Involves A Problematic Marriage

This would be a tricky remake, as the premise is problematic, with not only an age gap to deal with but a weird power dynamic between a teacher and his student. The core of the show is one that romance anime fans could get behind, though, as it’s a love that persists against all odds.

If it were remade, the sentiment of this anime could still remain intact, while pushing the ages of the main characters a bit forward. Instead of a teacher and his student, maybe it could be a man and a woman with diametrically opposed professions. Surely both new and old fans wouldn’t mind a bit of progress with their romance.

3 Chobits

Would Benefit From Today’s Popularization Of Shared Universes

Romance plots between humans and AI are nothing new, but since Chobits, there have been a fair number of nuanced takes on the idea, like in the acclaimed American film, Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix. It’s clear that a new Chobits anime would benefit from years of further sci-fi advancement.

Series written by the author collective CLAMP were known to have a lot of fun, and sometimes fairly small, crossovers between their series. While Chobits didn’t get as much of this as series like xxxHolic and Tsubsa: Reservoir Chronicles did, a remake of it, as well as the entire CLAMP lineup, would benefit from the hindsight of shared universes like that of the MCU.

4 School Rumble

Would Be Perfect For Short Form Content

Shows with bite-sized episodes that all focus on different themes or gags have to strike an intricate balance between the genres they strive to portray. School Rumble does exactly that, making viewers laugh out loud with its often absurdist humor, while still offering a ton of surprises in its romantic drama elements.

At its core, School Rumble is a sketch show, which is something that would go over very well with today’s infatuation with short-form content. Breaking new episodes out into YouTube shorts, or even TikTok clips would help the show bring in hoards of new fans.

5 Ai Yori Aoshi

Character Designs Need A Touch-Up

Main character, Kaoru, has escaped the machinations of his traditional Japanese family, but it would seem destiny has other plans for him. This leads him to get embroiled in a harem, at the forefront of which is Aoi, a girl who’s loved him since childhood.

The anime itself really has nothing special going on in terms of animation or style. Frankly, it looks a lot like many other shows from the time, with the biggest offender being its bland character designs. But that’s something that could be remedied fairly easily in a remake to accompany its truly special story.

6 Tatchi

Could Use Modernization In Its Animation

In Tatchi, known in English as Touch, love blooms on the pitcher’s mound. The show focuses on a love triangle between twins Tatsuya and Kaguya Uesugi, as well as Minami Asakura, as they enter the throes of high school and intramural baseball.

Luckily, the iconic artwork of Mitsuru Adachi doesn’t need to be fussed with too much. In fact, that instantly recognizable 80s style would surely make a remake of this story stick out within the countless rom-coms that dominate each season these days. Just a thorough brush-up on the animation itself is all it would take to make this one a home run.

7 Maison Ikkoku

The Number Of Episodes Could Be Trimmed Down

Originally a manga created by one of the masters of romantic comedy, Rumiko Takahashi, Maison Ikkoku tells the complicated love story of Yusaku Godai and his property manager, Kyoko Otonashi. It’s an engrossing story, even when many of the most important story beats are predictably kicked off by misunderstandings.

The show has seen a number of remasters, rereleases, and even movies in its time. However, what it could, no doubt, benefit from is a concerted effort to cut out the fat of the original 90+ episode run. That being said, this is an otherwise timeless classic that, frankly, doesn’t need much else done to it.

8 Peach Girl

An Example Of 2000s Anime Lacking In Animation Quality

Momo Adachi is by all intents and purposes a Gyaru, even if it’s not her intention. Of course, this comes with the many highs and lows of that life, which inevitably includes being involved in a classic love triangle with a few handsome guys. Unfortunately, this leads to a bit of jealousy in Momo’s “friend,” Sae, who spends the series further complicating things.

While not terribly old, a lot of early to mid-2000s anime were often released looking stiff, and as a result, a little plain. That is to say, a look at the show’s animation with modern sensibilities would be a welcome fix. There is also the sequel manga, Peach Girl Next, that has yet to be animated and could be incorporated into this new show, making a remake of the original anime a no-brainer.

9 Gravitation

Audiences Would Be More Receptive Of This Kind Of Show

This classic yaoi focuses on the love story between a famous author, Yuki, and a fledgling musician, Shuichi. Throughout the series, Shuichi attempts to break down Yuki’s emotional walls, all the while shooting for his own goal of hitting it big in the music scene.

It’s relatively short, but it’s the type of “boy love” story that U.S. publisher Tokyo POP played a large part in popularizing in the West, meaning a remake of the anime in this day and age would go over even better. It also would give creators the opportunity to actually animate the entire story of Gravitation, as the original show only covered about the first half of the manga.

10 Maria Watches Over Us

There Are Tons More Light Novels To Adapt

While a bit dense in its French naming conventions, the core of Maria Watches Over Us is rooted in the relationships that are formed between the series’ characters who all attend a Catholic school. These relationships range from the official to the romantic, and everything in between, while never feeling taboo, despite the story’s setting.

A reboot of this anime would just make sense. The series started as a light novel that continued on until 2012, meaning that there is a wealth of content that neither the manga nor the anime ever touched. Besides, a retelling could give creators an opportunity to give the show a bit more direction, as the original was more focused on characters than anything else.