Best Romance Anime Set In High School

Summary

• Japanese high school anime capture the essence of youth, freshness, and pure, cute romance.
• High school-themed romance shows like Horimiya and Toradora explore love, personal growth, and overcoming misconceptions.
• Unique romance anime like ReLIFE and Insomniacs After School depict self-discovery, second chances, and the power of companionship.

For the Japanese, high school is a very special period of their life. It represents perhaps the last time they can be truly free before starting off with the grind of adult life. This is why so many anime series are set in high school. It represents youth, freshness, and the insecurities that comes with one’s formative years.

This also makes the romance feel truly cute. It is pure feelings without most of the cynicism that comes when one grows older. There are a lot of romance shows involving high schoolers, but this list will look specifically at romance set in high school as there are some excellent ones.

9

Tomo-chan Is A Girl

A Wholesome Play On The Tomboy Trope

Tomo-chan Is A Girl follows Tomo Aizawa who is in love with her childhood friend, Junichirou “Jun” Kubota. The only problem is that he had mistaken her for a boy up until middle school and even when he found out the truth, promptly ‘bro-zoned’ her.

Tomo’s attempts to get Jun to see her for the girl she is leads to several hilarious situations and the addition of a stellar and funny cast of characters, most especially Carol Olston, makes for a solid romantic comedy.

8

Horimiya

Everything Is Not As It Seems

The major takeaway from Horimiya is that people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The show’s protagonists Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura are perceived in one way; the former as a perfect high school role model, and the latter, a quiet person not worth noting.

A chance encounter will see the two seeing one another in a new light, and they soon become an item and have to navigate the dating life. The show excels in exploring the loneliness of being misunderstood and the joy that comes with finding someone that gets it.

7

ReLIFE

Arata Wanted Nothing More Than To Do High School Over Again

Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to go back in time and undo their mistakes? Arata Kaizaki gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is given a pill that reverts his appearance to that of a 17-year-old and is given a chance to return to high school.

Arata’s return to high school isn’t easy as times have changed since when he was in school, and connecting with people remained as difficult as ever. Arata’s determination to take on his new life, and learn what he can from it is admirable, and the addition of some cute romance along the way doesn’t hurt.

6

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

A Study On The Difficulty Of Connection

When Hachiman Hikigaya is forced to become a member of the Volunteer Service Club, he comes in contact with Yukino Yukinoshita and the two do not get along initially. As they come to know each other better, it becomes clear that they both struggle with connecting.

The buds of romance start to bloom, but the two of them must overcome some pretty heavy flaws that stands in the way of a meaningful relationship. There is a bit of a harem, but on the bright side, there is only a singular romance with Hachiman eyeing only one girl.

5

My Love Story!!

Takeo Is A Perfect Gentleman

Takeo Gouda is the definition of a gentle giant. Big, strong, kind, and not conventionally handsome, he only wanted a relationship of his own. This is made even more difficult by the fact that his best friend, Makoto, was a heartthrob.

He meets Rinko Yamato, who becomes interested in him, but Takeo assumes that as with all the other girls, she only wants Makoto. Rinko now has to work hard to clarify that Takeo is who she has her eyes on. My Love Story!! subverts the typical romance tropes and is a breath of fresh air.

4

Insomniacs After School

The Beauty Of Kindred Spirits

Nakami and Magari both struggle with insomnia, which has led them to have a lot of struggles in school. While Nakami only complains and agonizes over his situation, Magari is a lot more cheerful and is a bright spot.

The two meet and recognize their shared problem. The story examines the power of companionship and how even the most difficult problems seem more surmountable when there’s someone at the side to support them. The two characters are cute, and it is very easy to root for them.

3

Toradora!

Ryuji And Taiga Are A Classic Anime Duo

Toradora! is generally considered to be a classic within the anime space and tells the story of Ryuji, a gentle, but misunderstood, while Taiga is small, but very feisty. They both are in love with other people, but start to know each other better.

Ryuji discovers Taiga’s sweeter side and vice versa. Toradora is a bittersweet romance about the reality of young love and while the violent gags might not be for everyone, it does a decent job at also being a comedy.

2

Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me To You

Sawako Is Effortlessly The Sweetest Girl

Sawako Kuronuma unfortunately bears a passing resemblance to Sadako from the Ring horror movies, which causes her classmates to avoid her and make fun of her. In reality, Sawako is a sweet girl that just wants to make friends.

She finds two great friends who start to see the true Sawako and realize that their estimation of her from just the outside was wrong. From Me To You is as sweet a romance as one could get and it really is a journey of self-discovery with a nice little romance to go along.

1

Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War

Miyuki And Kaguya Fight To Get The Other To Confess

Top students Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya are the student body representatives who also happen to like each other. But, both are far too prideful to let the other know directly, and instead attempt a series of absurd hijinks to get the other to confess.

Kaguya-Sama is a modern classic that has a great romantic story, but it is also truly hilarious with some of the stunts the crew get up to over the course of the series. A stellar cast of side characters, including crowd favorite, Chika also enriches it.