Compiling a list of the best short romance anime series is difficult because most of the great ones and most classics in this genre are long ones. Anime tropes don’t usually allow for Western romance which is usually served without weight and build-up and is almost always based on physical attraction. That said, we always love a challenge so we’ll give it a shot.
Best Short Romance Anime Series of All Time
For the following list of the top 5 best short romance anime series, unranked, we’ve only considered series that are within 14-15 episodes. In addition to that we’ve prioritized animes that tell the complete story within that span of episodes and thus don’t have a second season.
Horimiya
Horimiya continues to shine as one of the best short romance anime series in recent history. It’s funny, simple, charming and even realistic. What’s great is that this story doesn’t dawdle and gets straight to the point. Which is why one season of the anime was enough to adapt the entire story from the manga. But, if you’re like me and want more Horimiya, then there’s a 4-episode OVA that adapts some chapters that were skipped in the original series.
Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergardern tore through our hearts with only 13 episodes. Violet’s quest for meaning and her continuous and human attempts to understand people and their relationships makes this one was heartrending watch. While the story of Violet isn’t complete, there’s no news of a Season 2 yet and Season 1 stands on its own as a complete story. There are also a few OVAs and even a movie you can check out if you want to know more about Violet and her world.
Skip to Loafer
Skip to Loafer has only one 12-episode season out yet and while the story is still incomplete, it manages to portray realistic teenage relationships in a very human and intimate light. It’s one of the best short romance anime series simply because it doesn’t try too hard to be one. It takes itself in stride and comes out warm and welcoming to viewers.
Kiznaiver
Kiznaiver is more than just your average romance anime. It’s got psychological intrigue and mixed sci-fi elements to make some ambitious and elaborate sociological, psychological, and emotional points. While we agree the execution could’ve been a lot better, conceptually speaking this is one of the best short romance anime series of all time. It deals with themes of trauma, depression, isolation, anxiety, and identity among a group of high schoolers who just want to love and be loved back in return.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Anohana will give the veteran otaku PTSD and trauma. This isn’t a high-octane Romeo and Juliet romance you’re thinking of but a slow slice-of-life high-school romance series dealing with themes of identity, trauma, responsibility, love, and friendship. This is a coming–of–age story for its entire main cast of characters and it’s brilliantly executed within only 11 episodes.
- Also Read: 10 Best Romantic Anime Series
The last two entries on this list of best short romance anime series are heavy animes and we recommend you take you time with those two. They both deal with several mature themes and with a comparably large cast of characters and love is an inherent element within all of their lives. Both of the above series also explore different kinds of love- not just romantic so they can also stand as strong slice-of-life stories.
