10 best anime to watch on a date

Anime offers a creative and emotionally resonant shared experience for couples on a date night. Compelling animated storytelling allows anime to capture the subtle nuances of romance, longing, and human relationships in ways that live-action often struggles with.

Many acclaimed anime films and series specifically explore love and connection between unlikely individuals in visually breathtaking fashion. When choosing an anime to watch on a date, avoid anything too violent or explicit in nature.

The ideal anime pick for couples tends to feature uplifting themes, gorgeous animation, and passionate yet tender character storylines centering on love. Anime suggests an unconventional yet fun date night activity for couples open to spending time together.

10 best romantic anime to watch on a date

1. Your Name

Makoto Shinkai’s beloved supernatural film Your Name delivers drama and heartache against a visually stunning backdrop. The movie follows Mitsuha, a high school girl residing in Japan’s picturesque countryside, and Taki, a busy city boy living in Tokyo.

The strangers begin mysteriously waking up in one another’s bodies over a recurring pattern and stumble through living each other’s vastly different lives. As the cause behind the puzzling body swap remains unclear, Mitsuha and Taki develop an intimate connection and longing to meet in person.

It explores grief, fate, and emotional bonds that connect two people across time and distance. Shinkai’s animation beautifully captures the film’s melancholy and magical realism. For couples seeking a fantasy anime to watch on a date, Your Name ranks among the finest ever made.

2. Toradora!

The 25-episode romance series Toradora! has earned widespread critical acclaim for flawlessly balancing silly, lighthearted comedy with authentic emotional drama against a vibrant animated backdrop.

The show chronicles proud outcast Taiga and kind-hearted misfit Ryuuji, who decide to mutually support each other in getting closer to their individual crushes. However, as the stubborn opposites spend more time together, buried vulnerabilities come to light and an unexpected chemistry blossoms.

Toradora! employs standard “initially clashing protagonists turned lovers” tropes but manages to craft character story arcs that viewers become heavily invested in. With an ensemble cast of colorful side characters and true-to-life situations, Toradora! promises cute, funny, and tender moments ideal for fans dating.

3. Horimiya

Horimiya, a 2021 romantic anime based on a popular manga, is a charming anime to watch on a date. The show has received widespread critical acclaim for its sweet depiction of young love blossoming unexpectedly between two very different high school students.

On the surface, Hori appears to be a polite and scholarly class president, while the casually cool, tattooed Miyamura is often stereotyped as an aloof loner. However, in their private lives outside of school, each of them shows a completely different side of themselves that takes the other by surprise.

As they get to know each other’s secret hobbies and vulnerabilities, their preconceived notions get dismantled, paving the way for friendship and, eventually, romance. Both the animation and soundtrack are noteworthy for perfectly complementing all the cozy, tender moments between the central couple.

4. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Image via Madhouse)

For fans who enjoy time travel-themed stories with a romantic subplot, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a rewarding watch. This film tells the tale of Makoto Konno—a stubborn high school girl who mysteriously gains the power to literally “leap” backwards in time.

As Makoto starts exploiting her newfound time-leaping abilities for frivolous purposes, she soon discovers that her actions can have serious unintended consequences on others’ lives—including people close to her.

It explores themes of adolescence, responsibility of power, and the angst of coping with one’s first love. The contemporary Japanese backdrop, along with innovative direction and lifelike characters, gives The Girl Who Leapt Through Time widespread crossover appeal for fans and beyond.

5. My Love Story!!

For a purely sweet, feel-good romantic comedy, check out My Love Story!!. It follows gentle giant Takeo Gouda, who realizes he has feelings for a petite girl named Yamato after saving her from a harasser. Much to Takeo’s disbelief, Yamato ends up confessing that she likes him back too.

A huge draw of this 24-episode series is witnessing their relationship unfold in an organic way as Takeo learns to become more in tune with his own feelings. Unlike some shoujo anime where the protagonists take forever to get together, this loving couple establishes rapport quickly, much to the audience’s delight.

Overall, My Love Story!! matches its cute art style with non-stop heartwarming moments between Takeo and Yamato that any fan can enjoy. The show conveys that appearances have little to do with finding one’s perfect match.

6. Weathering With You

Weathering With You (Image via CoMix Wave Films)

Acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai has created another visually stunning masterpiece with his recent film Weathering With You. This supernatural romance and drama offers a poignant exploration of how two individuals try to overcome life’s hurdles.

The movie’s protagonist, Hina, possesses the magical ability to manipulate the weather. Hina and teen runaway Hodaka cross paths in rain-drenched, overcast Tokyo and develop an intense connection with each other amidst the storms of life.

Weathering With You features beautiful animation with detailed cityscapes drenched in rain. Its emotional story resonates with the film’s central message to “weather the storm” together when facing adversity rather than being alone. Couples will find this film stirring and thought-provoking.

7. Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (Image via A-1 Pictures)

For couples who enjoy witty comedy with a splash of romance, Kaguya-sama: Love is War delivers endless laughs.

Set at an elite boarding school, this unique series chronicles the schemes of two headstrong student council members—Kaguya and Miyuki—who have crushes on one another but are too proud to confess their love outright.

What ensues is an elaborate psychological war where the two secretly try manipulating circumstances so the other one confesses first. With its outlandish plans, hilarious misunderstandings, and an ensemble cast of wacky side characters, Kaguya-sama makes a fun anime to watch on a date.

8. 5 Centimeters per Second

5 Centimeters per Second (Image via CoMix Wave Films)

Helmed by acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai, 5 Centimeters per Second examines young love through an emotionally charged three-act story. It chronicles the deep connection between Takaki and Akari, two schoolmates who form a close bond they struggle to maintain as life pulls them apart.

The first act depicts innocent romance in 1990s Japan before the pair separates, while the second act jumps years ahead to follow each character’s story individually post-relationship. It concludes as Takaki reflects on his youth while coming to terms with the impermanence yet beauty of one’s first love.

Known for animation mimicking gorgeous watercolor art and poetic dialogue, Makoto Shinkai delivers a stirring yet bittersweet homage to loves lost in 5 Centimeters per Second—ideal for couples seeking a pensive anime drama.

9. Fruits Basket (2019)

Fruits Basket (2019) (Image via TMS Entertainment)

The 2019 adaptation of classic shojo manga series Fruits Basket makes for a charming anime to watch on a date. This supernatural romantic comedy chronicles orphan high school girl Tooru, who stumbles upon a mystifying secret about the eccentric Sohma clan she becomes friends with.

There is plenty of swoon-worthy romance between Tooru and the Sohma boys that will satisfy shojo anime fans. But there are also equal parts humor and drama as ancient curses come undone, family bonds strengthen, and young love blossoms quietly but surely.

With beautiful animation, likeable characters, and a heartwarming narrative about understanding oneself and others, Fruits Basket checks off all boxes for quality couples can enjoy together.

10. Howl’s Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle (Image via Studio Ghibli)

Visionary director Hayao Miyazaki brings to life a wondrous steampunk fantasy realm in the acclaimed film Howl’s Moving Castle.

A young hat maker named Sophie gets transformed into an old woman by a witch’s curse and befriends Howl, an enigmatic yet flamboyant wizard residing in a walking magical castle. Sophie hopes Howl can help lift her spell as a tender and evolving connection develops despite their vast differences.

Miyazaki’s trademark world-building imagination makes the moving castle come alive as a character itself, furthering the unconventional fairytale-esque romance at the story's core. For couples seeking family-friendly fantasy adventure sprinkled with charming romantic tension, look no further than Howl’s Moving Castle.

Conclusion

Anime may seem like an unconventional date choice, but many anime films and shows can make for a memorable shared experience.

The best anime to watch when dating someone taps into universal themes like the longing for human connection, understanding, and romance that resonate deeply. Visually stunning animated storytelling allows viewers to explore emotional nuances in ways beyond just live-action.

Anime also often features endearing characters that create everlasting impressions on audiences. For couples open to trying something cute and unconventional, the anime to watch on a date covered here will undoubtedly deliver.