Spring 2024's Guilty Pleasure Romance Anime Lineup is a Good Thing, Actually (2024)

Romance and love are tangible concepts, and anime is one of the best mediums for putting out dozens of different perspectives on what it means to love and be in love. Romance is still one of the most popular and loved genres in the anime world. The sheer amount of romance anime shows coming out every season proves that the viewers can’t get enough when two people come together in the name of love. From classics like Ouran High School Host Club to modern hits like My Happy Marriage, the genre has spewed out countless love stories that have restored people’s faith in true love.

However, the romance genre hasn’t thrived without its fair share of backlash for glorifying toxic characters and overemphasizing washed-up tropes. Although the modern narrative has drastically shifted from what was considered formulaic, there’s still something about the lack of logic in the classic way of romancing that fans still can’t get over.

How Has Modern Romance Anime Changed the Narrative?

There’s no replacing the classics despite most of those stories being stereotypical and on the wrong side of idealization. Hit shows like My Little Monster, Wolf Girl and Black Prince, and more are considered the pioneers of the high school rom-com subgenre — but if looked at closely, they’re complete cringe-fests. Guys forcing girls into relationships they don’t want to be in or blackmailing them into doing their bidding was the norm in most classic romance titles. Another reason why the narrative has drastically shifted in modern love stories is because of the unnecessary objectification of both male and female characters. It sometimes served no purpose to have a horde of boys and girls fighting over a single character without a proper reason.

Modern romance anime brought innovation and a sense of realism to love stories. For instance, shows like My Happy Marriage, Tomo-Chan Is A Girl!, and even Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’s Mansion changed the way female protagonists were represented. These shows proved that characters didn’t need to be at the mercy of fanservice to become memorable. The exploration of non-traditional settings and diverse characterization uplifted the quality of love stories from being a nonsensical love affair between teenagers. Although fans were treated to high school-setting rom-coms like My Dress-Up Darling and More Than A Married Couple, they were also not without a fresh perspective.

These anime may have featured bold characters, but they managed to address contemporary issues without being off-putting. Today’s romance anime have been successful in depicting the realities of a modern relationship between two realistic characters, something that classic anime had failed to do. The change of narrative may have brought sustainability into the genre, but it also diluted the concept of simplicity and fun in these stories. It may seem surprising, but diehard romance anime fans still appreciate a trope-filled modern version of the classic love story structure.

Why Are Guilty Pleasure Watches Still Popular?

The truth is that not all romance anime tropes have aged poorly. Despite their lack of realism, the audience somewhat grew attached to this gimmick of a handsome guy falling for an average-looking girl and going to extreme lengths to win her love. It’s safe to say that fans had come to admire the swooning feeling they felt when the guy and girl were in close proximity for no reason whatsoever. They’d fall into each other’s arms and be put in intimate situations that would make viewers’ hearts pound. Sometimes, the nuance of being in a young relationship comes off as entertaining to the viewers, especially when there's a hot and cold relationship. A vast portion of guilty pleasure titles comprises classic romance anime shows that offer an oversimplified version of love and relationships. Although modern romance series have more emotional depth to their stories, they are a bit complicated when it comes to the love part.

It still takes a whole season for the main couple to realize that they should date, but modern anime are abstaining from concluding the story. If viewers have to wait for about 12 to 13 episodes for the guy or gal to make the grand confession, it should at least end with a kiss or show the couple having a concrete future. Recent titles like My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999 and The Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague stretched the romance too thin and still left the audience unsatisfied at the end. There’s a lack of emotional closure and fulfillment in several modern romance anime that has made the audience crave a good old trope-filled love story with cheesy romance.

Spring 2024 Is Revisiting Classic Romance Antics

The Spring 2024 romance anime lineup is impressive, with several one-season wonders mesmerizing the audience. From grandparents living their youth and romance once again to the usual high-school shenanigans, this year’s spring season is filled with the air of nostalgia. This season’s romance anime lineup doesn’t particularly have a revolutionary story. Instead, most titles just seem like a refined version of a formulaic love story. For instance, Vampire Dormitory is 2024’s hottest vampire romance story. Although the anime has nothing too spectacular to offer in terms of narrative, fans can’t help but feel nostalgia seeing the anime. The story feels like it was made after watching the Twilight Saga and Ouran High School Host Club back-to-back.

Vampire Dormitory's plot revolves around an orphaned girl named Mito, who is unwanted and has no one to rely on. She lets everyone believe she’s a boy for the sake of her safety, but that’s precisely what lands her in the middle of a vampire crisis. After a fateful encounter, Mito is rescued by a young vampire named Ruka, who asks her to be his thrall until he finds his destined partner. Ruka has his reasons for not drinking women’s blood but has to find his female counterpart if he wants to take his rightful place as leader of the vampires. It would seem that Ruka’s vampiric backstory would take center stage, but that whole aspect is merely made up of small fleeting scenes in the anime. The main theme is the sizzling love triangle between Ruka, Mito, and a half-vampire.

Vampire Dormitory is chock-full of classic romance tropes, whether it’s Ruka’s involuntary attraction to Mito or the characters' inability to realize Mito is obviously a girl. Admittedly, several things don’t work in the anime’s favor, especially the parts that should’ve made sense. Surprisingly, the nonsensical yet romantic aspects of the show are exactly the reason why fans can’t stop watching it. The fact that there are loads of handsome characters involved and several romantic blood-sucking sessions is enough to keep the viewers hooked. The anime has no clear message. theme, or character development, but its status as a vampire high school romance drama is enough to make it an entertaining watch.

A Condition Called Love Will Bring Back Memories

A Condition Called Love is another guilty-pleasure watch that fans might be tuning into right now. Right off the bat, A Condition Called Love will transport viewers to the days of 2000s rom-coms where the popular handsome guy suddenly falls for the ordinary girl who has no interest in him. The story features a 16-year-old high school girl named Hinase who has gone through her whole life without experiencing romance. She feels there’s something wrong with her because she doesn’t have the capacity to have a crush on someone. On the other hand, Hananoi is the most popular guy in school, and he seems to think that no one understands him because people don’t look past his looks and girls come to him too easily. Since Hinase does neither of those things, Hananoi falls under the impression that she is his one true love and falls devastatingly in love with her. At this point, A Condition Called Love seems like a modern amalgamation of all romance anime clichés presented with first-class animation and good pacing.

A Condition Called Love is nowhere near the supremacy of titles like Skip and Loafer, but that’s exactly the point. Skip and Loafer might have been one of the best anime of 2023, but it didn’t have those heart-fluttering elements of romance. Although Skip and Loafer had an amazing perspective on modern relationships, it was devoid of a swoon-worthy romance that reeks of desperation and raging hormones. It’s not that modern romance anime don't have good feels or lovey vibes to offer, but sometimes, the punch of nostalgia and simplicity hits the spot. That’s why they’re called “guilty pleasures”; they might be outdated but are still entertaining and part of the broader pop culture.