Toradora is a slice of life, romantic-comedy series written by Yuyuko Takemiya and illustrated by Yasu that examines two high school students determined to get with each other’s best friends. However, the time they spend together causes them to have a change of heart, and these two partners in offense will always be there for one another.
Toradora has been described as both romantic and comedic in nature. There are a lot of anime titles to choose from in the romance anime and comedy genre. Here are our picks of romance anime like Toradora!
Nisekoi
As the heirs to rival Japanese Yakuza gangs, two high school students are forced into a relationship and try their best to keep up appearances for the sake of holding peace between their respective factions.
Being able to relate is a great way for people to connect. For example, in Toradora, Raku and Chitoge find much more in common than expected! Their relationship starts out as one of constant fighting but turns into something friendly after realizing their similarities. This is also a theme in Nisekoi.
With a laid-back atmosphere and an eye for detail, this show will keep you entertained without feeling the need to be deep or complicated.
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Ouran Koukou Host Club
Haruhi enrolls into an elite high school and breaks the vase of their prestigious host club. Haruhi is forced to pay off her debt by working as a male host for this very odd organization- it’s not surprising that she finds herself in the thick of things rather quickly!
Our male protagonist, Tamaki, has strong feelings for Haruhi but defines them as a father‘s love for his daughter. He spends the series taking care of her and guiding her until he realizes there might be something more to their relationship than just friends or family.
Our protagonist is a level-headed type of character who always maintains composure. The Host Club members are lively and energetic, which creates an interesting, complex character interaction that makes this romantic comedy anime stand out from other shoujo anime.
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Kimi ni Todoke
Sawako, a girl with an uncanny resemblance to the character from The Ring, has trouble making friends due to her appearance. However, she finds herself surrounded by new people when one of the most popular boys in school decides he wants to be close friends with her.
“Never judge a book by its cover” is precisely what threads Toradora! to Kimi ni Todoke. She’s shy, introverted, and misunderstood. She yearns to make friends, but her appearance, like Ryuji’s, is a big obstacle.
This is an adorable romance anime with a great animation style and soundtrack. Character development-wise: Watching Sawako’s personality evolve into a more confident, outgoing person while still maintaining her sweetness was enormously satisfying to watch. It made the moments of their innocent school romance blossom even sweeter as they were able to share it together.
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Peach Girl
Young Momo falls for handsome Touji in high school. But things get complicated when the requited love turns into a threesome, with her first instinct being to fight off Kairi Okayasu. Still, eventually, emotions take over, and she becomes friends with both of them.
There’s a strong love triangle between Momo, Kairi, and Touji, reminiscent of Taiga, Minori, and Ryuji. One of the two draws out all aspects of her personality in ways that the other just can’t.
Peach Girl is a popular shoujo anime, succeeding in each and every one of the requirements. The strong themes drive the drama forward, tear out, or make your heart swell up on rare moments.
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Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster)
Shizuku Mizutani is a hard-working, academic-driven girl who never dreamed of falling in love with anyone until she meets Haru Yoshida. He pushes his way into her life, and inadvertently, they help each other understand how to balance emotions, school, and social life.
Shizuku and Haru are polar opposites of one another. Yet, somehow they always seem to find a way to compliment each other. For example, when Shizuku is around, he learns how important it is for him not to lash out by simply keeping his temper in check, proving that she means more to him than satisfying his thirst for a fistfight.
This is a romantic comedy that can appeal to all types of fans because of two characters with opposing extremes that, when combined, balance each other out. And to top it all off, there’s a great combination of character design and animation styles.
Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama!
Misaki is the first female student council president of her high school, which only recently went from being an all-boys to a co-ed school. However, things got tougher when one day when she’s faced with Takumi Usui, he finds out that Misaki works part-time in a maid cafe.
Misaki and Usui’s relationship didn’t start off so well. Misaki is strict against him, often reacting to his charms in a not-so-cute manner. But his actions eventually sway her feelings when she realizes how much energy he invests in looking after her.
The soundtrack and animation combination in this series is much like Toradora! ‘s. They do a great job of creating a comedic world where characters can live out their high school romance. And an extra bonus, the whole concept of blackmail keeps things exciting throughout the series.
Check Out: 27 Of The Best Anime Like Kaichou wa Maid-sama
Skip Beat!
Young high school dropout Kyouko Mogami unexpectedly gets heartbroken by her childhood friend, Shoutarou. With a cold and vengeful heart, she’s determined to destroy his career. She stubbornly enters the entertainment industry intending to crush the man who treated her like dirt.
Skip Beat! is the closest in kind to Toradora!, with both series working around regular tropes of the shoujo genre. For example, Kyouko and Tsuruga define their feelings for each other as “respect” but eventually realize that there’s more going on than just kōhai’s affection towards her senpai.
Kyouko’s interior thoughts are hilarious, and her acting is fierce. Watch out ’cause she’s a force to be reckoned with! It’s also extremely refreshing because it’s in a completely different setting than school life.
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Special A
The S.A. is a special class designed for the top 7 students of Hakusenkan Academy, an elite high school. Hikari and Kei are at the top of their class, Hikari always remaining in second place. As she tries to make her way up to the first place, they become friends and rivals with a budding love for each other.
The slow burn of these two starts with Kei’s long-standing feelings for Hikari. She, however, is not as quick to catch on and focus her attention elsewhere.
A romantic comedy anime that doesn’t care about any laws of physics: there’s something to be said about how the random competitions in this series always reach outrageous heights
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Karin
Karin is a rarity among vampires. She bleeds and suffers from exaggerated nosebleeds, unlike her family or fellow species. Still, the only way to stop this excess of blood she produces is by biting into someone else’s neck, which then feels to the limit feelings of happiness.
Kenta’s stare is so intense, he could challenge Ryuuji any day. But, that aside, regardless of how they feel for one another, Karin and Kenta’s relationship has its obstacles like family, friends, the other students in school, and occasional foes.
A mix of the supernatural and romance with a helping of a comedic element. The supernatural elements didn’t hurt the romantic comedy anime. Especially when our main female character comes from a family of vampires, all with their own set of quirky supernatural abilities.
Check Out: Top 20 Vampire Anime Of All Time
Golden Time
Tada Banri’s entrance ceremony starts off on the wrong foot when he arrives late and gets lost. However, things take an interesting turn after meeting Mitsuo and Koko in his fay building – where they share a kiss.
Toradora! and Golden Time are such memorable romantic comedies because it has the perfect blend of themes, music, and animation style that play with the audience’s emotions. Although Koko shows up with a blatant infatuation for Mistuo, her feelings later drive her to fall for Banri.
The show is directed towards a slightly more mature audience. However, this doesn’t mean that things are less captivating. On the contrary, you’ll find yourself reaching for the remote control to rewind every time there’s an important plot twist – like when Banri meets his Spirit or the appearance as a twisted version of Nana.
We know a ton of romance anime out there, and some of them may be like Toradora, be it premise, art style, or soundtrack. These 10 made it to our list. There are doubtless others we might have missed, too – let us know your favorite anime series and what you think! Leave us a comment! Enjoy!
