Anime has given us some of the most epic love stories, which have been the perfect backdrop for some of the most passionate, heart-wrenching, and all-consuming romances. One of the most powerful types of romance is the love between childhood friends who become lovers.
We have compiled a list of the top 15 best anime where childhood friends become lovers, without a doubt some of the most iconic and passionate anime romances of all time.
Here are the 15 best romance anime where childhood friends become lovers
As we all know, some of the most popular anime series usually revolve around themes of friendship, love, and other related emotions. One of the most common themes used in many different anime series is the theme of childhood friends turning into lovers. This has been a theme that has been used in a lot of different anime series for a variety of different reasons.
It is usually used to create a really interesting dynamic between the characters and to create a lot of really interesting plot points and background for the story. These are the 15 best anime where childhood friends become lovers.
15. Just Because!
Nostalgia is one of the better feelings of school, even for those who may not have had the best moments of their high school years. Our MC Izumi has just transferred into a high school back in his hometown. On the cusp of graduation, his future is assured with a paid scholarship to a top university, with graduation being all that’s left for him.
However, our mc meets Haruto, a former baseball teammate and his love interest Komiya. This love triangle becomes a polygon as other members join the party. Each of them pushes each other forward, but with all this romance blooming. The final days of graduation are coming and with that, will everyone get their loved ones?
Dubbed – Yes
Season – 1(12 Ep.)
14. Cross Game
The tale is as old as time. Two families bond by a sport and because their kids are of the same age, they ended up growing together. Our MC and the girl next door love each other so much that they started to have plans for their future. However, the female lead died in a swimming accident due to a twisted fate.
Don’t worry; it’s not a major spoiler. This all happens in the first episode and the other 49 episodes are for the main story. The female character also has a little sister who happens to have a crush on our MC as well. Technically, they were all childhood friends, so there is no wrong answer no matter who he picks. This is a show where childhood friendship must win and there is no other way around.
Dubbed – No
Season – 1(50 Ep.)
13. KimiKiss: Pure Rouge
We are no strangers to people leaving town for a while then coming back to their childhood friends. In general, it’s the boy who leaves and not the girl. As for the case with KimiKiss, three childhood friends have reunited after many years apart.
Our female character moved to France for a few years, and when she returned, she burst into her friend’s house as if she lived there. Her parents agreed to let her live alone with her childhood friends. Now all three of them reunite after two years apart, and they will attend the same high school together, where they experience the ups and downs of high school and love.
There is also a love triangle involved to keep the story entertaining. Overall, it’s a great show if you want to see how relationships progress and change with time.
Dubbed – No
Season – 1(24 Ep.)
12. Anonymous Noise
Childhood romance with a love triangle always brings a somewhat different vibe to it. As for Anonymous Noise, it has a unique character design and a musically driven story. A girl named Nino, wearing a mask, stands by the beach and sings a nostalgic melody. She made the promise with two of her childhood friends, Yuzu, who composed the music, and her first love name, Momo.
All of them individually promised to help Nino continue her music journey. After six years apart, they reunite in the same high school. With time, many things have changed in their lives. However, one thing remains the same as music, a complicated love triangle.
Dubbed – Yes
Season – 1(12 Ep.)
11. I’ve Always Liked You
If only life was as simple as a Disney high school movie. Everyone is meant to be for someone and the side character is meant for no one. Similarly, in Sakuragaoka High School, our female character Natsuki mustered up the courage to confess to her childhood friend.
Whereas her little brother has feelings for his sister’s love interest little sister. A simple rule of equal love exchange. In the whole movie, we get to see both couples desperately attempt to get their loved ones and the side characters whose feelings have never been answered.
The entire story is divided into two movie sequels. It feels like a failed attempt to create a romance movie by Honey Works. However, the animation quality is top-notch and is the reason why I completed these movies.
Dubbed – Yes
Movie
10. Tamako Market
Two families run a mochi shop in a shopping district of Usagiyama. Tamako is the oldest daughter who knows everything about mochi. Whereas Mochizo had some other plans for the future. Both grew up together in the same neighborhood and had feelings for each other. In their high school, MC tries his best to hide his emotions.
Things change when our MC decides to go to Tokyo for further education. For those who are in the market for cute couples, Tamako Market is something you need to look for. The story is simple and does not try to be a masterpiece or anything. Its only goal is to provide an overdose of cuteness.
Dubbed – Yes
Season – 1(13 Ep.)
09. Kamisama Kazoku
Can you take a look at this show’s main character and say he’s a god? Yep, you read that right. Samatarou may look like a normal high schooler, but he comes from a family of gods. So how does god dressed as a high schooler fit into this list? Well, the guy gets a crush on the transfer student.
Now, since he’s a god, you might think he has the powers to make anyone fall in love but he cannot do that without some severe repercussions. Yup, this means he has to do things the hard way. Don’t go into this anime expecting some heavy supernatural elements plus some unique levels of animation.
This is your good old high school slice of life anime that somehow involves gods. The romance in the series is pretty cute, so you’ll definitely love this show if you’re a romance anime fan.
Dubbed – No
Season – 1(13 Ep.)
08. Special A
Special A is one of those shows with rivalries. You’ve got the couple trying to kill each other and then slowly falling in love with each other. Same good old tropes repeating all over again, but this time the writers know how to add a little tension to the story.
We’ve got a girl called Hikari who is good at everything but then a guy called Kei Takishima lands in his class and beats her at everything. Since the two have been eternal rivals, what happens when these two enroll in the same school.
Well, Hikari challenges Kai on everything but she doesn’t know that Kai has a crush on her, and to make things worse, they need to compete with seven other students who are the best in the academy. If you need a rival turning lover’s story with a childhood friend trope mixed in then this is the show for you.
Dubbed – Yes
Season – 1(24 Ep.)
07. Hanasaku Iroha
This is more of a slice-of-life anime than a romance anime so you won’t get the confession until the very end of the series but don’t let that discourage you from watching this anime because you can finally learn about managing an end. Okay, let me back up and explain.
Ohana Matsumae is an energetic teenager who is living a carefree life, but then her mother runs away with her boyfriend and she has to go back to her grandmother’s house in rural Japan and work as a maid. Needless to say, life isn’t going to be easy and Hanasaku Iroha is about Ohana’s life in the end.
The romance part comes at the very beginning of the series when one of her childhood friends confesses to her, but will these two meet again? Watch the anime and find out and be ready to meet some interesting characters as well.
Dubbed – No
Season – 1(26 Ep.)
06. Love and Lies
This is another girl rejects guy and then immediately regrets it sort of anime, and this time, it’s all because of the Japanese government. Okay, let me explain.
Love and Lies happen in a society where young people are married off to increase the country’s population count. Our main character Yukari Nejima gets his marriage proposal the very day he declares his love to his crush.
Now, with two girls at his side, he needs to pick who he should choose and since both are equally important to him, it’s going to be a tough choice.
The ending of this anime is a love or hate thing, but I can guarantee you that you’ll feel way too wholesome after watching this anime. If you love the anime but hate the ending, then don’t forget to read the manga; it’s better than the anime.
Dubbed – No
Season – 1(12 Ep.)
05. Blue Spring Ride
There’s a girl who likes a boy but the boy leaves the town. The girl is now sad and acts like a tomboy but then she meets the boy again but guess what? He’s changed a lot.
Blue Spring Ride isn’t going to give you a rollercoaster of emotions like other anime but it knows how to hit harder during its emotional moments. It’s about two characters trying to adapt to new personalities only to realize wearing masks isn’t as easy as they think.
This is also one of the best written relationships I’ve seen in anime and when I say it’s the best, I mean it. Come on guys check how many romance anime I’ve watched.
Dubbed – Yes
Season – 1(12 Ep.)
04. True Tears
At first glance, it looks like a normal high school story, but from the title, something needs to be tricky, right. Our MC Nakagami is exceptionally good at drawing. His dream is to become an artist. She lives along with his childhood friend Hiromi who they took in a year ago because her father passed away. Although she is good at school, she can’t get familiar with her new foster family.
With chicken-loving Isurugi, the story turns into a love triangle. It has a good amount of potential, but it annoys me from time to time due to some character. The story reminds me of a show like Sing Yesterday to me.
Dubbed – No
Season – 1(13 Ep.)
03. Nyan Koi!
Let me ask you something are you a cat person or a dog? I know it is a subjective topic but what if I tell you some people don’t like any of these and our MC Junpei is one of those allergic to cats. However, her whole family is a cat lover, including the girl he had a crush on. Her family is a dog lover. Well, I guess different families have different problems.
One day while passing a local shine, our MC attempts to throw an empty tin can into a bin. The shot misses and it ends up hitting a statue. In return for his mistake out, MC needs to fulfill 100 cat wishes, or else he turns into a cat in return. At first glance, this seems to be a cat-obsessed show. Apart from cat’s comedy, it’s an excellent romance show, including some pants-down moments.
Dubbed – Yes
Season – 1(12 Ep.)
02. Myself; Yourself
Many people will turn a blind eye to a show as old as this one. However, the feeling I get while watching this is something I want you to try yourself and let me know what you think. Our MC Sana moved back to his hometown after five years of being apart.
Due to his parent’s business plan, he was surprised to see nothing much had changed but the childhood promises to Nanaka. Not only did he forget the promise but her whole existence. Now our MC tries to help her and promises to stay by her side. The story is rather simple; however, the dramatic touch they add to make it quite interesting. In the end, the story is majorly focused on romance, and with that, the ending has been quite satisfying.
Dubbed – Yes
Season – 1(13 Ep.)
01. 5 Centimeters Per Second
An underrated masterpiece created by Makoto Shinkai. A film is broken into two parts, covering our MC’s childhood and young adult life. Takaki and Akari became best friends in elementary school, and our MC started to have feelings for her.
Unfortunately, due to Akari’s parent’s job, she had to move to the other side of Japan. Both decided to stay in contact; however, the distance will go larger, and we get to see their desperate attempt to keep their connection alive. In addition, movies capture the essence of young love. No matter how old we get and how far we are, the feeling for the first love never fades away.
Throughout the screenplay, you will keep rooting for them and asking for a happy ending they both deserve. Will they get one? Well, that would be a spoiler which I want you all to find yourself.
Dubbed – Yes
Movie
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