24 Romance Anime Where They Start Dating Early

You know what can be so disappointing with romance anime? The relationship is built up for the ENTIRE series and you get that great kiss or declaration of love, then it just ends.

It may not end for a few episodes afterward the new couple is made, but it is hardly enough time to see any payoff. Sure, they say falling in love is the sweetest part, but sometimes you want a little more, you know?

If you want romance series that see a couple that gets together early on and it explores their actual relationship, then try these romance anime recommendations.

Best Romance Anime Where the Couple Gets Together Early

His and Her Circumstances

This particular romance series is a gem due to its solid romantic progression from high school and, even more rare, beyond that oft-used time period.

The main couple gets together rather early, but the interesting bit is that it skips the typical couple drama. It has drama, of course, but it is more so personal issues rather than someone trying to break up the main couple.

My Love Story

It is often hard to take My Love Story seriously as a romance because of all the comedy, but it still is one. The main couple get together early on and the story focuses on this great gorilla of a man trying to learn to navigate the awkward moments of someone finally being in love with him.

It’s nice to see the ugly nice guy win one for once.

Mischievous Kiss

While it has some faults in terms of its portrayal of the relationship, Mischievous Kiss does do romantic progression very well.

They go through a relatively short “get together” phase since they are forced to live together. The rest of the series follows them from high school all the way through college in their romantic endeavors.

Tsuki ga Kirei

This series is almost perfect as a romance anime.

It balances every part of the relationship together without relying on rather needless drama just for drama’s sake. While it is a short little adventure, the couple is relatively straight with their feelings and you do get everything you would ever want during the credits of the last episode.

This means you aren’t left waiting or wanting more because it covered all the bits romance anime junkies really want to see.

Domestic Girlfriend

As a series about a love triangle between sisters and a boy that becomes their step-brother through marriage, you know this will end in tears for someone. Yet, it doesn’t mess around with its romantic feelings.

In fact, it literally starts with a “bang” and is only a few more episodes before feelings are addressed. It’s just that, well… Feelings change. That’s the major take away from this series.

Say “I Love You”

By every right, this series seemed like it would be one of those where the payout only comes at the end. A cool popular boy. A shy main girl. It seemed like feelings wouldn’t come out so quickly.

However, thanks to rather straightforward talk from the boy, romance actually happens quite quickly. While there are some really nice moments of early romance, unfortunately it does turn to some needless drama for a bit there.

Wotakoi – It’s Hard to Love an Otaku

You know what is so great about romance series about adults rather than high school kids? High school may be the time for love, but don’t have time for those coy moments leading up to actual dating.

In Wotakoi, they start dating rather unceremoniously in the first episode. It helps that they were childhood friends before they became office workers, though. The rest of the series is them indulging in their shared nerd hobbies and progressing their relationship.

Wolf Girl and Black Prince

This series is one of those that starts with a “fake” relationship for various reasons. However, this fake relationship quickly becomes one-sided before finally landing at official.

It moves at quite a decent clip to deal with all the issues that come afterwards. It is a pretty drama-heavy series, but there is something to be said about the endurance of their relationship through all the bullshit.

Momokuri

The whole premise of Momokuri is based around how awkward a new relationship can be.

The series starts with a couple that literally just started dating and explores how each decides to play it. One has been stalking the other for several months, and the other is just happy someone is so interested in them.

Tonikawa: Over the Moon For You

Pfft. Why settle for an anime where they just start dating a few episodes in? Why not just straight into marriage? That’s Tonikawa for you.

However, this isn’t a series about the drama of essentially two strangers getting married. In fact, there is little drama at all. Instead, it is about the cute “getting to know you” moments of a newly dating couple, but they live together and are legally married.

From the art style, you can also probably tell that this is cute rather than lewd like some other anime series may make that situation.

Horimiya

Horimiya is rather unique as far as more traditional anime rom-coms go.

It gets the couple formally dating within a few episodes, shows their relationship progress to all those staple moments, and does it with very little drama.

This allows it to tell the main couples’ full relationship story in one season while also showing the romantic lives of the fleshed out side characters.

3D Girlfriend

In 3D Girlfriend, the characters meet by happenstance and seemingly start dating on a whim.

It follows an otaku who misunderstands what sort of person his pretty, popular, and frequently truant classmate is. However, as they bond during a school punishment, they both become closer and within a few episodes start dating.

The rest of the series follows their new relationship and eventually dips toes into drama, each drama more dramatic than the last.

Tsurezure Children

If you like romance in sheer volume with minimal of those overly used rom-com tropes used for drama, Tsurezure Children is exactly for you.

It features about half a dozen couples at various stages of romance. With some couples it shows them getting together, and for other couples, it just focuses in on them in their relationship already in progress.

Honobono Log

In very much a “I mentioned Tsurezure Children, I can’t not mention this” affair, Honobono Log is much the same set up as Tsuezure Children.

It features multiple couples and zooms in on all the rather nice romantic with none of the drama. However, in this series, the couples are all married or otherwise well established.

Love After World Domination

This series follows a Super Sentai-like leader who falls in love at first sight with a powerful warrior in the evil organization they have been fighting.

While he confesses his love and they start dating within the first episode, you can’t be an open cute couple when you are supposed to be fighting. As such, this fun little series features them doing all those quintessential romance anime things in secret.

Boarding School Juliet

One more romance series about a parties on opposite sides falling in love and having a relationship in secret.

This one takes not so subtle inspiration from Romeo and Juliet, but takes place in a boarding school between feuding dorms. Much like Love After World Domination, the series is all about doing cute couple things in secret.

Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie

This series starts with the couple already well into their relationship, with the beginnings of it shown in flashbacks throughout the show.

The whole catch to this little rom-com is that the male main character is prone to accidents and bad luck while his girlfriend is always saving him.

Traditionally, it is the boyfriend’s role in a rom-com to be dashing and heroic, so this is a lovely subversion.

My Sweet Tyrant

In My Sweet Tyrant, the anime starts with the couple already dating. However, it is not what you would call the most healthy of romances.

As the main character is excessively bashful, he isn’t honest with his feelings. So instead he is mean when his girlfriend shows affection out of embarrassment and shows his love via essentially following her around in secret.

Girlfriend; Girlfriend

While my distaste for this series is no secret, there is, as they say, a lid for every pot when it comes to anime.

Girlfriend; Girlfriend starts out with a guy getting a girlfriend. He is then confessed to by another girl and, instead of shooting her down, suggests to both girls that he dates both of them.

They also move in with him.

It’s a romantic comedy essentially about the girls trying to love him more than the other girl.

My First Girlfriend is a Gal

While Girlfriend; Girlfriend is a romance series with harem sensibilities, My First Girlfriend is a Gal is a romance series with big ecchi sensibilities. Every girl is overly stacked and overly horny.

While that is understandably a put-off for some romance anime fans, the innocence between the main couple is really what elevates this from “just another ecchi disguised as a romance to not be hentai” series to an actual romance series.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Sometimes it is easy to forget that this series is a romance.

Not because it doesn’t have a ton of sweet moments between the couple that formally gets together only a few episodes in, but rather because it has a very intriguing non-romantic plot that it follows.

It is truly a romance anime of another breed.

Golden Time

While Golden Time seems like a series where they take all series to realize their feelings, they actually get together as a couple rather early on.

The catch is that is is a bit of a hybrid. While in a relationship, the main female, Koko, is incredibly insecure with her new boyfriend, and for good reason since her boyfriend Banri is in love with another woman half of the time. The other half of the time he is an amnesiac who fell in love with her.

If you want a low-drama romance anime where the couple gets together early and is happy, this is not it. It is got an extra scoop of relationship drama for a plot.

Maoyuu – Archenemy and Hero

While this series is about the alliance and the relationship between the demon queen and the hero sent to slay her, the thing is, it doesn’t spend too much time on romance.

They get together in the first episode as a couple and agree to help fix both the demon world and the human world that is at war and both under threat to crumble if that war were to suddenly end.

As such, they spend much of the series going through economical and political strategies to help improve the world. Yet, it does take a few moments for a nice bit of romance that leaves you wanting more.

It is a pretty cute romance with excellent world-building, and in this world of primarily high school rom-soms, that’s actually pretty rare.

Do you have more anime recommendations where the couples get together early? Let fans know in the comments section below.