Without a doubt, the boom of streaming services in the past few years has made anime incredibly accessible. Whether you're an established fan looking for their nostalgic comfort show, or someone dipping their toe in the sea of anime for the first time, there are plenty of options for what to watch and where. Anime spans many genres though, so it might be hard to decide where to begin. Why not start with a heartwarming romance?
Romances aren't everyone's cup of tea, but with the genre often blending bits of comedy, drama, and maybe even historical twists, there's plenty of opportunities for viewers to find the perfect match. Anime fans eager for a new love story won't have to look too far, because HIDIVE's got it covered. Here are just a few of the romance anime available to subscribers.
Bloom Into You
Bloom Into You is a yuri series that follows two high school girls, Yuu Koito and Touko Nanami, as they slowly begin to recognize their romantic feelings towards one another. Yuu and Touko both found themselves unsure of how to feel when a boy confesses to them. This confusion is what brings them together in friendship because they suddenly have someone to relate to. As their friendship grows, they struggle to understand their feelings for each other, and whether or not they can accept having feelings for someone of the same gender.
The anime only has one season of 13 episodes, making it a quick watch for fans looking for a series with queer representation.
Say I Love You
Mei Tachibana spent much of her childhood being bullied. After her "friends" blamed her for something she didn't do, Mei decided she didn't need any friends. Now in high school, she's considered by most of her classmates to be weird and anti-social. But when popular heart-throb Yamato Kurosawa takes an interest in her, Mei's world is flipped upside down as their growing friendship blooms into romance. Yamato helps Mei see that not every person is hurtful and selfish, and slowly she begins to open her heart to new friendships.
Say I Love You has 13 episodes and an OVA for anyone looking to watch a sweet story of acceptance and self-love.
Rin-ne
Leave it to Ranma 1/2 creator Rumiko Takahashi to give the world another rom-com hit! Rin-ne combines the supernatural with slice-of-life, not unlike another of Takahashi's famous works. Sakura Mamiya just wants to live a normal life, but her ability to see ghosts keeps getting in the way. She doesn't remember it, but she was spirited away as a child, and ever since she's been stuck with this inconvenient power of sight. Sakura wants a simple high school experience, but the appearance of shinigami/former classmate Rinne Rokudo makes that pretty much impossible.
Coming in at 75 episodes, Rin-ne gives fans plenty of supernatural rom-com hijinks to enjoy.
Golden Time
Anyone who appreciates a good love triangle, or two, should check out Golden Time. Banri Tada is off to law school, fresh from an amnesia-inducing accident just after his high school graduation. Overwhelmed by the chaos of the law school's opening ceremony, he runs into and befriends equally befuddled freshman Mitsui Yanagisawa. They hit it off but soon after Mitsuo's self-proclaimed fiancé, Kouko Kaga appears. Kouko and Mitsuo promised each other as children that they'd get married, with Koko keeping her word and Mitsuo using this school as a means to get away from her. If that's not enough drama, Banri starts to fall in love with Kouko, but then his best friend from high school, Linda, shows up. Banri doesn't remember Linda, so were they more than friends before the accident?
Comedy and chaos ensue in this 24-episode series as the four main characters try to unravel their romantic entanglements.
This is just a glimpse of what HIDIVE's library of romance anime has to offer. Full of anime that mix romance with comedy, fantasy, and more, subscribers are bound to find "the one".
