Rejection hurts and many of our male readers will probably relate into this common scenario. But don’t worry, that’s quite common in anime as well and some of these recommendations will help you in overcoming disappointment.
Sometimes girls will regret their decisions, as you will see in these shows.
This listicle is based on our personal experience and opinions. We will keep it updated to offer the best service to our readers.
Table of Contents
15. Amagami SS
Based on the hugely successful Japanese dating game of the same name, Amagami SS is full of love rejections, almost relying on them.
The protagonist of the story is Junichi Tachibana, an ordinary high schooler who tries hard to find his soulmate.
Due to a bad experience, Junichi feels particularly uncomfortable during the Christmas season, so it is at Christmas time that he will have to play his last chance to impress the beautiful Haruka Morishima or one of his classmates.
Each mini story arc will then be dedicated to one of the girls, thus going to simulate the different routes of the original game. Too bad, of course, they won’t go as planned.
14. Domestic Girlfriend
Natsuo, the main character, ends up consummating his first sexual intercourse with Rui, a girl he met that same day after school.
The girl decides to reject him completely after that, saying she is only interested in the carnal act, not wanting a relationship.
Afterward, the boy feels guilty for losing his virginity to a girl he does not particularly like, plus he feels as if he has betrayed his crush on his high school teacher, Hina.
A strange triangle then arises that will lead to Natsuo, Rui, and Hina becoming part of the same family.
A seemingly intricate plot, with many twists and turns, and a more mature and explicit outlook than the usual romance.
This is also one of best romance anime where older girl loves younger guy that you shouldn’t sleep on.
13. Naruto
No long introduction is needed for Naruto, one of the iconic Shonen Jump Big Three and one of the most important anime ever.
The events narrated are those of budding ninja Naruto Uzumaki, who carries the burden of being the vessel of the nine-tailed fox, which destroyed the village years earlier. His dream is to become Hokage, leader of the village, and be respected by all.
Naruto was as much of a troublemaker as he was a ladies’ man, which is why he persistently hit on Sakura at the beginning of the series as soon as he met her.
You can imagine what was the outcome!
12. Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk is focused on the small but competitive world of high school basketball.
The main character Hanamichi Sakuragi is a young brawler who enrolls in the first year of Shohoku High School in Kanagawa Prefecture.
He is a walking cliché: every girl rejects him, his grades in school are not great, and for these reasons, his friends tease him.
However, things soon change for Hanamici when he meets Haruko Akagi, a high school girl who is passionate about basketball.
The girl convinces Hanamici to join the basketball team as she is impressed by his height and muscular physique. And Hanamichi, in love with Haruko, will agree to join the club just so he can impress and win her over.
We specify this but it is obvious: Slam Dunk is not to be watched for the romance.
You should give it a chance for its breathtaking matches, the exponential growth of the characters, and the relationships between them.
11. HigeHiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway
Already from the title, which is very explanatory, we can understand the highly demented nature of this anime.
On his way home, after going drinking to forget about being dumped by the girl he has loved for five years, Yoshida sees a high school girl sitting on the ground.
The student is willing to give up her body to him in exchange for a place to sleep, but Yoshida refuses her offer but decides to take her in anyway.
Thus begins the affairs and cohabitation of Sayu, a runaway girl, and Yoshida, a 26-year-old employee.
A recently released out-of-the-box romance that can be seen as a real breath of fresh air.
10. Masamune-kun’s Revenge
When he was little Masamune was a chubby boy and he was in love with a girl called Aki Adagaki. But she used to reject and bully him at the time, calling him piggy.
This took a toll on young Masamune, who decided to act and get revenge on the girl.
He planned to lose weight and seduce the girl to have the possibility to reject her back and break her heart. This backfires spectacularly as the boy ends up falling in love with Aki again.
Turns out that she liked him even back then but was unable to properly express her feelings.
This is a romance anime where enemies become lovers in a good scholastic setting, with mild psychological elements.
9. Inuyasha
How could we not mention Inuyasha, the adventure shonen featuring the eponymous half-demon dog as its protagonist, perfect for a light-hearted viewing yet very catchy.
The story stars Kagome, a young girl who, as a result of an accident, will fall down a well and be catapulted into Sengoku-era Japan.
Here she will be reborn as the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo, to protect the sphere of the four winds with the help of Inuyasha himself.
Inuyasha, before falling into his sleep, was madly in love with the previous incarnation of the priestess Kikyo. Because of this, he will also hit on Kagome, who will reject him multiple times.
8. Just Because
It is the winter of the third year of the high school Mio Natsume attends, we are nearing the end of the second semester, and the students are just waiting for graduation time.
But all of a sudden Eita Izumi, a boy who because of his father’s job is forced to move all the time, who had left town in his junior high school days for the same reason, returns.
His return will shake many but Mio first and foremost, given the romance between the two in middle school days, which ended in a hasty rejection by the girl, unable to express her feelings.
But it’s never too late, and even old flames can be rekindled. If you want to know how it will end, watch Just Because, a good romance anime that will thrill you.
7. The Case Study of Vanitas
The story is set in an alternate 19th-century Steampunk Paris, where technology has taken a different path. This scenario also makes it one of the best historical romance anime that you should watch if you like the subgenre.
For the fans, this series is made by the same author of Pandora Hearts.
The protagonist Noah is a vampire called upon to investigate mysterious attacks by his fellow humans.
Vampires are fully integrated in human society but somehow attacks keep happening. The key to stopping them seems to be possessed by a doctor and it is the mysterious Book of Vanitas.
The love story component, while not predominant, will be present, with also one of the best romance with grown-up characters.
The co-protagonist Vanitas plays his cards with Jeanne, a very powerful vampire, and not with immediate success.
6. Golden Time
In 2013, the Golden Time anime was released, with its very exuberant and over-the-top story.
Banri Tada lost her memory by falling off a bridge just before graduating. Together with Mitsuo Yanagisawa and Koko Kaga, they will be the protagonists of the anime.
Golden Time is all about college life and the love triangle within the cast can only make the plot more spicy, with Koko Kaga being one of the best domimant female leads in the genre.
The dynamics between the three are much more complex than that. But as every love triangle entails, someone will have to end up being rejected.
5. Orange
Orange is a great Sci-Fi themed and one of the best psychological romance anime, thanks to it examination on deep themes such as depression and social anxiety.
Naho Takamiya receives a letter from her 10-year-old self in the future. At first, Naho thinks it is a joke, but changes her mind when the events in the letter really happen, including the transfer of a new student Kakeru Naruse.
The guy is the main theme of the letter where he is asked to treat him with as much love as possible because 10 years from now the boy will lose his life.
But the twists and turns will not end there, and between mistakes, rejections, regrets, and twists and turns Orange will be a real heartbreaker.
4. Tamako Love Story
Tamako Love Story is a 2014 movie, an awesome sentimental slice of life and a romance anime with comedy.
Mochizu and Tamako have been friends since they were born. Since childhood they have always played and had fun together, and predictably, Mochizu ended up falling in love with her friend
Reaching their senior year of high school, the two boys must decide on their future, and Mochizu decides to enroll in a university far away from their home.
In order not to have any regrets, the young man decides to declare himself to Tamako before leaving, who will reject him at first glance.
Second thoughts will not take long to come, however, and a race against time will begin to set things right and bring out the true feelings of the two.
3. Plastic Memories
If you are looking for an anime that in terms of its plot and themes ends up being a real punch in the chest, then Plastic Memories is just for you.
In the not-too-distant future, it has become customary to use human-like androids for the most common chores. Their life expectancy is limited to only nine years, and then they are decommissioned.
But when the protagonist of the stories has to deal with the scrapping of certain units, he will make a discovery.
He will find the young android Isla, with who as time goes by feelings will develop, but will result in rejection at first sight. But are we sure this is the final verdict?
Plastic Memories is a solid romance that deserves more success than it has. Its themes, like the setting, are done very well, and Isla is one of the best kuudere girls in romance anime in our opinion. Check it out.
2. Toradora!
Toradora is an excellent love story, capable of gripping you and melting your heart, and one of the best romance anime anime for guys in our opinion.
The main character Ryuji Takagi, because of his creepy look and being the son of a yakuza, is kept at a distance and feared by his schoolmates.
In reality, he is a quiet and responsible boy, as well as fixated on cleanliness. Opposed to him we have Taiga Aisaka, who feared for his heated disposition despite being of petite stature.
Both are in love with the other’s best friend, but in a relationship that is not destined to work out. They will discover along the way that their attentions are directed toward other people.
1. After the Rain
Adapted this time from a seinen manga, After the Rain thus presents more mature and adult themes than the other names on this list.
The main character, high school girl Akira Tachibana, is the classic unattainable beauty, as enchanting as she is unapproachable.
Everyone has eyes for her but Akira is secretly in love with the manager of the café where she works part-time, a forty-five-year-old man who is divorced and already a father.
An anime that deals with love between two individuals of very different ages and how that can’t work, with glimpses into life and important issues.
We consider this anime as one of the best underrated romance anime that you shouldn’t miss out.
