With the Winter 2022 anime season winding down soon, the Spring lineup is nearly upon us -- and it looks like love will be in the air for many protagonists and side characters alike.
Whether fans are looking for serious drama, wacky hijinks or a bit of everything in between, there will be plenty of new and returning series to dive into. Here are the most anticipated rom-com anime that fans are looking forward to checking out this Spring.
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic- (Season 3)
Kaguya-sama is back for a third season, titled Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-. In this slice-of-life rom-com created by Aka Akasaka, student council president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya have crushes on each other. The problem is that they let their pride and ego get in the way of their feelings, resulting in silly antics to get the other person to surrender and admit their crush.
Season 3 features a new set of rules and antics between Miyuki and Kaguya and will debut in Japan on April 8th, though a premiere date for North America is yet to be announced as of this writing.
Data A Live (Season 4): The Harem Rom-Com Favorite Returns
After three successful seasons, Date A Live, written by Koshi Tachibana and illustrated by Tsunako, is back with an all-new adventure. The story centers on the life of Shido Itsuka, who discovers a mysterious girl with unique abilities. This girl is a “Spirit” from another dimension who enters the real world -- and is the cause of spatial quakes that are harming the planet.
To stop these Spirits from destroying mankind, Shido must seal their powers by making these Spirits fall in love with him. As he encounters new Spirits to seal, Shido gains new allies -- but then the Spirits compete with one another for his attention and affection.
Date A Live is definitely one of the top harem rom-coms to check out this Spring. Season 4 will begin in Japan on April 8th, while Funimation currently holds its licensing rights in the West.
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It (Season 2)
In Season 1 of Science Fell in Love, Shinya Yukimura and Ayame Himuro confess their love for each other. Season 2, however, finds the two still doing scientific experiments to prove their theory of whether or not true love is real. This time though, their relationship gets interrupted when other researchers get involved and try to interfere with their experiments.
Science Fell in Love is a great Spring 2022 series to check out for lovers of science, romance or those just looking for something different. The dialogue between the characters and the creative “scientific” love experiments are silly and fun to watch. Season 2 is set to premiere in Japan on April 2nd. Crunchyroll aired Season 1, so it's a safe bet that Season 2 will arrive there as well.
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai: An Unlikely Friendship Blooms
One day, Raidou Matsuboshi picks up Reina Aharen’s eraser. Reina mistakes this act of kindness as a sign that Raidou wants to be friends with her. As a result, the two become inseparable friends. Asato Mizu’s Aharen-san wa Hakarenai (Aharen Is Indecipherable) centers on the unexpected friendship between the petite and soft-spoken Aharen and the “intimidating” but kind-hearted Matsuboshi.
The series shows how friendship can blossom even in the most unlikely circumstances. Unlike the other series, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai is more of a friendship story than a romance, but there's still plnety of comedy and laughter with all the silly antics the two protagonists get themselves in. Aharen-san wa Hakarenai will premiere in Japan on April 2nd.
Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs
Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs is a light novel series written by You Mishima and illustrated by Monda. In this story, office worker Leon Fou Bartfort gets reincarnated into the Holfort Kingdom, a world within an otome game that his sister forced him to play. The Holfort Kingdom is run by strong, assertive “mobster-like” women. Luckily though, Leon retained his past life's memories involving the gameplay, so he's able to cheat his way through the game. The story centers on his adventures at the academy, where he gets involved with royalty and other side characters.
Fans of My Next Life as a Villainess will surely enjoy this highly anticipated isekai comedy series, which also takes a unique outlook when it comes to otome games. Trapped in a Dating Sim will premiere in Japan on April 3rd, with an official release date for the West still to be announced.
A Couple of Cuckoos: Two Babies Switched at Birth
A Couple of Cuckoos is a romantic comedy created by Miki Yoshikawa. Protagonist Nagi Umino shockingly learns that the adults who raised him aren’t his biological parents. Deciding to meet his biological parents, he discovers that he and another baby were accidentally switched at birth. To make up for it, Nagi’s biological parents decide to have an arranged marriage between him and their daughter, Erika Amano, a popular internet celebrity, which results in the two cohabitating in a house owned by Erika’s family.
This romantic comedy anime is reminiscent of the popular '90s shojo series Marmalade Boy, due of the peculiar family situation the main protagonists find themselves in. A Couple of Cuckoos also takes on the popular cohabitating living situation of non-married “couples” trope, making it comparable to series such as Girlfriend, Girlfriend and LD-K.
A Couple of Cuckoos premieres on April 24th and will be available on Crunchyroll.
Miss Shikamori Is Not Just Cute
Miss Shikamori Is Not Just Cute by Keigo Maki centers on the relationship between Yuu Izumi and Micchon Shikimori. Izumi’s life has been nothing but unfortunate events -- until he starts dating Shikimori. In his eyes, she is not only cute, but is also wonderfully assertive and earnest. Shikimori, in return, shows her love for Izumi by always caring for his well-being. Thus, the story focuses on a blossoming relationship.
Shikimori is a strong, assertive female protagonist. She could arguably be similar to Kyouko Hori from Horimiya as both characters carry an air of independence and maturity. Miss Shikamori Is Not Just Cute is set to premiere in Japan on April 10th and will be streaming on Crunchyroll.
