The 20 Worst Romance Anime If You Hate Yourself That Much

Yes, you read the title correctly. And no, we haven’t gone crazy. We’re going to take a look at what we believe are the worst romance anime you can watch.

Talking about the best picks isn’t always the right thing to do!

There could be many reasons why we consider them terrible, such as a poorly written plot and love story, embarrassing animations or even controversial themes.

However, we’d like to remind you, now more than ever, that this list is based on our personal opinions and tastes. If you happen to love any of the anime on this list, that’s perfectly okay. (More or less…)

20. The Detective is Already Dead

The Detective is Already Dead is an anime that was released in 2021 and currently has one season consisting of 12 episodes, which deserves a gold medal in the disappointment category.

The story follows Kimihiko, a boy who met Siesta, a charming detective, years earlier on a plane, and fell in love with her at first sight. Together, they shared many adventures until Siesta sadly passed away.

After her death, we follow Kimihiko as he tries to return to a normal life.

The Detective is Already Dead deserves a spot on this list due to its immense wasted potential. The premise is intriguing and full of mystery, which could have been developed in many exciting ways.

But actually, the story unfolds in a boring and unnecessarily complicated manner.

It’s a shame to see such an interesting concept be executed so poorly, isn’t it?

19. Netsuzou Trap

Netsuzou Trap is a series consisting of 12 short episodes, each about 10 minutes long, released in 2017. Fortunately, they are short, so you won’t waste much time if you have the crazy idea to watch them.

Yuma is about to have her first date with Takeda, the boy she is in love with. However, nervous about the idea, she asks her best friend Hotarou to practice kissing and other intimacies.

But what does it mean when she realizes she has strange feelings during this, losing interest in Takeda?

One word about this anime: boring. The plot is not engaging, the characters are written poorly, and the romantic moments are, as you guessed it, uncomfortable and rushed.

The animations, however, are done quite well, strangely. If you are interested in Yuri, we recommend watching Bloom Into You instead. It’s a better work that we consider among the best vanilla romance anime.

18. Domestic Girlfriend

We know that including Domestic Girlfriend on this list may be controversial since many people enjoy it or find it at least decent.

And yes, its opening is fire, and one of the best in recent years, but unfortunately all the rest is awful.

The story follows Natsuo, a boy who had his first sexual encounter with Rui, a girl he just met who then dumped him, stating that she was only interested in sex.

Natsuo feels regret what happened and also feels like he has betrayed his crush, his teacher Hina.

But later, Natsuo finds out that both Rui and Hina have become his stepsisters, and he must live with them since their parents have gotten married.

There are several reasons why we consider the series to be terrible. The romance is poorly structured, rushed, and based on uncomfortable assumptions.

The characters are poorly developed and could have been written better by my little brother.

Furthermore, Rui’s character is one of the most annoying characters in recent years.

17. Citrus

Citrus is a yuri manga adapted into an anime series in 2018, consisting of 12 episodes with strong romantic themes.

We want to make it clear that we have nothing against yuri themes, and they do not bother us at all. It’s everything else about this anime that is terrible.

Yuzu Aihara enrolls in a girls-only school after her mother’s remarriage and meets Mei, the cold-hearted president of the student council.

And to make matters more complicated, Yuzu later discovers that Mei is her new half-sister, the daughter of her mother’s new husband! But as if that wasn’t strange enough, Mei suddenly kisses Yuzu.

We must admit one thing: this anime has some unexpectedly good animations for being this bad. But the romance is poorly constructed and questionable, not just due to the taboo themes but other reasons as well.

Additionally, the story feels rushed, and the characters lack proper development. Quite a mess, right?

16. Koi to Uso (Love and Lies)

Koi To Uso is another anime that deserves the good premise and bad realization award. It was released in 2017 and has 12 episodes.

The story is set in the near future where 16-year-old boys are assigned a lifelong partner to marry.

The protagonist, Yukari Nejima, is just about to turn 16 and is preparing for his partner to be assigned to him. But what will happen when he falls in love with a girl just before that happens?

We know, the premise sounds intriguing, but unfortunately, the execution is terrible. The development of the story is poorly done and the romance is dull and repetitive.

It’s a shame because this anime had the potential to be unique and captivating, but it ended up being another missed shot.

15. Peach Girl

The Peach Girl manga is not that bad, and some of you may already be familiar with it. However, the anime adaptation is a complete disaster.

The animation quality is terrible, with incorrect character proportions, and the adaptation feels rushed and unfaithful to the original story. Additionally, the soundtrack is super boring.

This train wreck was released in 2005 and spans over 25 episodes.

Momo is a high school girl whose skin tans quickly, making her appear like a delinquent and causing her to be constantly teased by her supposed best friend Sae.

Will Momo be able to lead a normal life and find love?

As you can see, the plot is not even that bad, even if it’s kinda annoying. It’s a classic shojo manga plot, with some boring characters, at the end of the day.

It’s better to stick to the manga instead of suffering through the anime adaptation.

14. Girlfriend, Girlfriend

Girlfriend, Girlfriend is undoubtedly one of the worst romance anime released recently if you ask for our opinion. It premiered in the summer of 2021 and has aired 12 episodes so far.

The main character, Naoya, is a high school boy who receives a confession of love from Nagisa, a beautiful classmate. The problem? Naoya is already in a relationship with Seki. But at the same time, Nagisa is too pretty to pass her up.

Their solution? Convince the two girls to enter into an open relationship and live together in the same house. And as if that wasn’t already enough, other girls will later join this questionable relationship.

It’s easy to see why we find this romance to be problematic and unappealing just by reading the plot.

Not only the premises are terrible enough, but how they are then carried out during the story makes them even worse, with stereotypical situations, irritating characters, and an unsatisfying plot and romance.

13. My First Girlfriend is a Gal

My First Girlfriend is a Gal is a romantic anime that was released in 2017 and consisted of 10 episodes.

Interestingly, it seems like many of the poor-quality anime that we’ve listed so far have a limited number of episodes, guess it’s a coincidence…

The story follows Junichi Hashiba, a high school student who embodies all of the cringe stereotypes of the genre and dreams of losing his virginity. Unfortunately, he’s not that popular and quite a loser. (Wonder why…)

One day, he loses a bet and is forced to confess to Yukana Yame, one of the most beautiful girls in school, who surprisingly accepts him.

My First Girlfriend is a Gal is a cringe anime. It features exaggerated and often out-of-context ecchi scenes, an uninteresting romance, and an overall boring plot without any notable twists.

Additionally, the protagonist is poorly written and stereotyped to the point of being unbearable.

12. 7 Seeds

Get used to anime with promising premises that end up being poorly executed, because 7 Seeds is another example of this category.

It was released in 2019, and multiple series were produced, but they could have been easily avoided.

It’s the end of the world: a massive meteorite is about to hit the Earth.

To preserve what can be saved, governments have taken precautions. In Japan, they chose to put five groups of seven boys into hibernation, and the story begins when these boys awaken.

Although 7 Seeds starts well, it quickly becomes boring and fails to engage the audience due to unrealistic situations and cringe romance.

The animation and character development are decent, but they are not enough to make this anime a good watch.

11. Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki

Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki is a school-based harem romance that was released in 2021 with 12 episodes.

Fumiya Tomozaki, the best gamer in Japan on Super Smash Bros, firmly believes that life is an unfair and boring game.

However, his classmate, Aoi Hinami, has a different perspective and believes that life is a beautiful game. Who is right?

Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki, in our opinion, seems to be a discount version of other psychological romance anime such as OreGairu, one of the best comedy romance anime that we definitely recommend seeing instead of this one.

Despite having the potential to be at least good, the series falls short and ends up being boring, stereotypical, and cringe.

10. Eiken

We don’t even know where to start on this one. Eiken is a short OVA that thankfully only has 2 episodes, yet manages to be a complete disaster in less than 45 minutes total.

The main character is Daisuke Mifune, the typical loser high school student you can find in every terrible anime: short, shy, and awkward.

After an accident, he meets Kirika Misono, the most beautiful girl in school, who takes him to the Eiken club.

The unique feature of this club is that it’s made up entirely of overly attractive girls ( and drawn in an extremely unrealistic way) who try to seduce Daisuke in increasingly suggestive ways.

What can we say about this anime? Take all the worst elements we’ve seen thus far and multiply them by ten.

The characters are pointless, stereotypical, and cringy, while the ecchi moments are so excessive that they become irritating at one point. And the girls are drawn so provocatively that they defy physics. (And you got what we mean)

9. School Days

We know that some appreciate School Days. Too bad we are not among them. It was released in 2007 and has 12 episodes based on the shonen manga of the same name.

Makoto is a boy who falls in love with Kotonoha, a seemingly sweet girl he meets every morning on the subway.

Sekai, Kotonoha’s best friend, wants to help Makoto win over Kotonoha but is secretly in love with him.

At first, it seems like a normal love triangle. And that’s right: seems. School Days can be summed up in one word: uncomfortable.

The romance is poorly executed, the animation is even worse, and the story’s final part is terrible, which attempts to be a great plot twist but is just ridiculous in our opinion.

8. Diabolik Lovers

Diabolik Lovers, released in 2013, is a 12-episode anime adapted from a visual novel of the same name.

Yui Komori is a girl who must transfer to a new school for celebrities due to her father’s job. Little does she know that she will be living with six vampire brothers who will try to win her affection.

A normal vampire romance with reverse harem themes, right? Definitely not.

The uncomfortable romance moments in this anime feel more like aggression toward Yui than genuine attempts to win her over. It’s basically the animated version of Twilight, but 10 times worse.

The only redeeming quality of the anime is its good character design, but unfortunately, it’s not enough to save the product.

7. Osamake: Romcom Where the Childhood Friend Won’t Lose

Osamake is a bad harem romance that came out in 2021. It consists of 12 episodes based on the light novel of the same name.

The story revolves around Sueharu, a high school student who is in love with Shirokusa, the most popular girl in school and a famous writer.

The girl seems to reciprocate his feelings, as she blushes when Sueharu compliments her books and speaks to him often. (Perhaps a bit self-centered as reasoning? But let’s continue)

But one day Sueharu is disappointed when he finds out that Shirokusa already has a boyfriend. (Figures…)

And that’s when Kuroha, Sueharu’s childhood friend whom he rejected in the past, steps in and plans some serious revenge.

Osamake is dull and with some annoying characters, especially the protagonist, who is terrible. Not to mention that the animation quality is also quite mediocre. But starting from such uninspiring premises, one surely cannot expect a masterpiece…

6. My Sister My Writer

“Over the past 10 years of watching anime, there have been hundreds of stinkers, truly dreadful shows that have tested my tolerance to its utmost limits, but, gee, I think we’ve found the stinker of all stinkers with this one.”

This Mal review perfectly captures our thoughts on My Sister, My Writer.

The story follows Suzuka Nagami, a middle school student who wins a writing award for her novel about a girl in love with her older brother.

But to avoid embarrassment, her brother takes the credit under the pen name Chikai Towano.

This series can be described in one, simple word: boring. The plot is almost non-existent, with uninteresting and random events, and even the few romantic moments are uncomfortable and cringe to watch.

5. Plunderer

Once again, we have a prime example of a great concept gone to waste with Plunderer, a fantasy anime with adventure, action, and romance as its main themes.

Currently, it has 24 episodes that cover the first part of the long manga it is based on.

In the year 305 of the Alcian calendar, every human being is marked by a number that quantifies their social position, which can rise or fall based on behavior. If the number drops to zero, the person disappears into the abyss.

Hina‘s mother, the protagonist, disappeared into the abyss years ago, and before she did, she asked her daughter to find the man known as Licht Bach.

We know, the promises may sound interesting, as they interested us when we first read them. But trust us, it’s only appearance.

Plunderer’s story is boring, filled with stereotypes, cringe moments, and unnecessary ecchi scenes that disrupt the pace of the series. What a shame, again.

4. Rent a Girlfriend

Rent a Girlfriend is one of the latest harem romance anime series that started airing in 2020. It has two seasons released so far and is still ongoing. (Unfortunately)

The story revolves around Kazuya, a college student who was recently dumped by his girlfriend for another guy. Feeling heartbroken and devastated, he decides to try out Diamond, an app that allows him to rent a girlfriend for some time.

He meets Chizuru Mizuhara, who initially seems to be the perfect match for him, but things soon become complicated in many ways.

Rent a Girlfriend is a terrible romance anime for several reasons. The characters are poorly written and incredibly stereotypical, especially Kazuya, who is one of the worst protagonists in recent years.

The romantic moments in the series are also bad, with situations that are stereotypical and inconclusive, not to mention incredibly annoying.

3. Kiss x Sis

Kiss x Sis is an ecchi romantic comedy that (unfortunately) premiered in 2009 and consisted of 12 episodes.

The story follows Keita, an eighth-grade student who lives with his father, stepmother, and twin stepsisters, Ako and Riko. From this setup alone, you can start to understand where the story is headed.

As the story progresses, Ako and Riko develop romantic feelings toward Keita, which leads to a war between the three as the sisters attempt to win Keita’s heart, while he tries to avoid their advances.

Trust us, don’t watch this anime.

It combines all the negative aspects that we have seen before. Poorly written characters, an uncomfortable romance that borders on incest, and a cringe-worthy sexualization of underage characters.

It is best to forget that this anime was ever made and do the world a favor.

2. Kodomo no Jikan

You may have already guessed the factors that make us triggered about these anime: uncomfortable moments, poorly written plots, cringeworthy characters, and unnecessary and exaggerated ecchi scenes.

And guess what, Kodomo no Jikan has all of the flaws listed above.

Daisuke is a 23-year-old elementary school teacher who is transferred to a new school. Here he meets Rin, a pestiferous little girl who falls in love with Daisuke, deciding in every way that she must seduce him and make him her own.

Isn’t this enough? Rin is literally a 7-year-old elementary school girl who will often be involved in ecchi and sexualized scenes.

The animations, to make matters worse, are kinda terrible. Avoid it, please.

1. Eromanga Sensei

Eromanga Sensei is an anime that falls under the romantic-comedy genre with a heavy emphasis on harem and ecchi themes.

It was released in 2017 and has a total of 12 episodes, thankfully not too many.

The story follows Masamune, a young author of light novels, who lives with his sister Sagiri, a hikikomori who never leaves her room.

Masamune collaborates with an illustrator who uses the pen name Eromanga Sensei, who produces very suggestive and provocative illustrations for his novels.

And imagine Masamune’s surprise when he discovers that Eromanga Sensei is his little sister.

Let’s start listing the flaws. Firstly, the plot is not particularly captivating or intriguing, as you may notice.

Additionally, the characters are poorly developed, and the romance is super uncomfortable, with some sister-complex undertones. Moreover, the underage characters are unnecessarily sexualized.