Not every Valentine’s Day need to be a stereotype. Certainly you could do the whole dinner, date, chocolate romance thing. Alternatively, you could do the opposite and you could treat it as any other day. However, if you have a special someone who also happens to share your interests, even if that special someone is your cat, you could always watch some anime.
This Valentine’s Day, why not stay in and share your interests as a couple. Of course, if your special someone isn’t well-versed in anime, you don’t want to start them off with the hardcore stuff. You should probably keep it low on the gore porn and the ecchi, instead choosing anime series that tell those really, really good stories that transcend how anyone feels about subtitles or animation.
Best Anime to Watch as a Couple
How to Choose Good Anime to Watch As a Couple With a Normie?
If you are both into anime, even just a little, choosing an anime is easy. Hell, it is practically an adventure. However, when one side of a couple doesn’t have any interest, it can be more difficult. Yet, if they are willing to try it, you cannot squander the opportunity. So even if you don’t pick something from this list and want to go with one of your favorites, here are a few rules so you can use your best judgement.
- Avoid lewds. Just don’t do it. Many normies already think anime is hentai, don’t further the stereotype. This means no siscon, lolicon, or anything where the flesh is always exposed and shiny.
- Avoid overly violent anime. A little violence is okay, but Corpse Party is a poor first anime choice (because the plot is dumb).
- Avoid anything overly focused on Japanese culture. If your special someone has an interest in travelling to Japan, go ahead and disregard this. However, understanding a different culture might be a little difficult to get into for some. It is better if they have a suspended disbelief by having it set in a fantasy world or a modern setting where the culture isn’t a big focus.
- Choose newer animation. Cowboy Bebop may be a classic that most people love, but some people just don’t like older or more experimental animation.
- Probably avoid comedy through pure randomness. Sometimes just random comedy is really funny. However, for a good night of watching anime together, you probably want something with a plot.
- Avoid mindfuckery. There is a time for heavy psychological series, but Valentine’s Day isn’t this time. I mean, you could always do School Days… If you want to be single again.
For this list, I tried to keep it pretty even so I picked shows that both girls and guys will like. It isn’t just guys that watch anime and try to get their girlfriends into it. The opposite can be just as true. Furthermore, why not pick an anime that you will both enjoy in the first place?
So what are some good anime choices for a little Crunchyroll and Chill for Valentine’s Day?
Toradora
This series is such a beloved romance series because it is approachable to both sexes. It is not just packed with those fluffy, diabetes-inducing sweet moments nor is it some hardcore action anime with flat characters. Toradora is thoughtful about both romance and life with a lot of great comedy in between to create something that both sides of a couple can enjoy.
My Love Story
Despite the title, My Love Story is more comedy that romance. Certainly the love story is the sole focus of the plot, but it’s not the sort of sappy, drama-laden romance that most boyfriends don’t really want to watch. Instead, the show is more about the trials and tribulations of a ugly guy with a heart of gold who gets his first super cute girlfriend after a lifetime of girls being scared by him. Needless to say, it is a plot that a lot of male anime fans can probably relate to.
Erased
You don’t have to watch a romance series on Valentine’s Day or as a couple. It’s not a rule, they are usually just easier to get into. However, Erased presents a mystery that once you get into it, the show gets its hooks into you and you just can’t not watch it all the way through because you have to find out who the killer is.
Your Lie in April
Everyone loves a tearjerker, and this one can tug at even the tightest heartstrings. That being said, the best thing about this show is easily the music. Even if neither of you are fans of classical music, this show can give you a little appreciation for it because the show just makes it so intense. Yet, while the music is a big part of the plot, there is enough drama, romance, and comedy in between to prevent it from being a boring show solely about classical composition.
Sword Art Online
As much as many, including myself, like to hate on Sword Art Online, there is no denying that it can be a good introductory anime series. It’s got that flashy action interspersed with a sappy romance that makes it interesting to a wide audience. I mean, if your normie partner doesn’t notice that the main character is a turd, it’s a great choice.
Tiger and Bunny
I feel that Tiger and Bunny, though widely overlooked, is a pretty good introductory series as it focuses on something that many people are familiar with – DC/Marvel-sort of superheroes. It’s a leap, but not that big of a leap between The Avengers and Tiger and Bunny. While it has good action scenes, it really goes to great lengths to develop the characters in a way that you really learn to care about them by the end.
Angel Beats
Shows like Angel Beats that have you laughing one moment and crying the next are always a good choice. This series has a lot of silly characters that can make it really fun, but all of those characters are dead and are actually there because they had a particularly sad life. Its fun, but it can hit hard in a lot of different ways. Pretty much if you have an inadequacy or a sore spot, it will poke at it.
My Hero Academia
This is another superhero show like Tiger and Bunny, but it draws much further away from the Western idea of superheroes. Honestly, what it really has going for it is the animation and, at first, Deku’s facial expressions. While often serious in plot, My Hero Academia often has a way of feeling more relaxed that other anime series that makes it just seem more accessible.
Gate
Many anime fantasy series can be a bit out there with the worlds and characters that they create. However, because Gate combines modern relatable characters with some more out there fantasy characters, it keeps things somewhat grounded. Yet, the most enjoyable part of Gate is seeing modern weaponry go against fantasy creatures and medieval armor. Watching a machine gun nest tear through mounted cavalry is satisfying no matter who you are.
Tsurezure Children
Love is awkward. Sometimes so awkward that it is physically painful. While a short episode anime series, the episodes being about 12 minutes long, they pack a punch. The series details the stories of young love for about a dozen different couples. Though the episodes are short, each couple feels like it gets the perfect amount of time and focus. This series is a pretty great watch for any couple because it zips between sweet, hilarious, and awkward at a lightning pace, which makes it so addicting.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Choosing something from the mecha genre can often be a little bit much since a lot of mecha series often go out of their way to explain all of the political nuances present in their world, and it can get downright boring. However, Garagantia is a nice little beginner mecha since it doesn’t have a huge focus on the mechs. Not only is the animation fabulous, but it explores a world that is distinctly exciting to learn about and is filled with interesting characters.
I Can’t Understand What My Husband is Saying
This series is last because it is a little iffy. On a positive note, this anime is literally about a normie who married an anime fan. This alone gives it a lot of relatability. However, the major downside is you sometimes need to be a speed reader to keep up with the subtitles. As a short episode anime series (the episodes are only about 2 minutes long), things move quickly. Look away for a second and you feel like you missed half the episode… Because you did.
Did you and your special someone bond over watching a good anime together? What was it? Let us know in the comments section below.
