The year just started and just like that, it’s about to be Valentine’s Day. Ah yes, the feeling of love is only getting more dense in the air. In honor of that, I thought, why not share some of my favorite heartwarming anime that almost made me wish I had a man? I’m just kidding, but not really.

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So here is a short list of five anime series that I enjoyed and think would help make this Valentine’s Day a bit more lovelier.

Say I Love You

First and foremost, I’d like to say that this was the anime that jump started my anime-binging era a couple of years ago. Say I Love you, or Sukitte Ii Na Yo, was the first shoujo anime I had seen and still absolutely cherish it until this day. That’s partially why it’s my first pick for this list.

Mei is a self-contained, quiet, and cold girl who doesn’t believe in friends because of things that happened in her past. She grew to learn that being involved with others will only bring her pain and disappointment in the end. So as a mean to protect herself, she lives a solitary life.

Yamato is an effortlessly charismatic and handsome dude, who has a fan club, of which is made up by the entire female student population. Except for Mei (duh). Also, he’s just a genuinely nice and kind-hearted guy.

They have their serendipitous encounter when Mei accidentally round-kicks him and instead of getting angry, he smiles and at that moment, decides he’s going to pursue her. Which is totally understandable, we love women who can fight!

This anime is more of an innocent and gentle one. It’s perfect as an introduction to shoujo.

Wolf Girl & Black Prince

This anime is fun because the approach to this love story is…well, unconventional.

Erika, who seems to be some sort of a pathological liar at the beginning, enters high school and is horridly worried about not making friends. So in order to fit in with her new friends, her only resolution is to lie.

One of the lies she told that put her in a life-changing predicament is that she has a boyfriend, and of course she’s never been on a date or has ever fallen for a guy before. And that’s where Kyoya, who the female students refer to as the “Prince,” comes in to help out. Because Kyoya agrees to help Erika, they enter this master-and-pet kind of relationship, where Kyoya bosses her around and she has no choice but to obey in order to save face in front of her friends. It’s amusing to watch the length Erika is willing to go to stay in this fake relationship, but the mood changes when you notice that things don’t seem so fake anymore.

I really like Kyoya’s personality because he’s this guy who lacks warmth and affection, well, just extremely unemotional. So when you encounter moments where he’s slightly nice or overprotective, you know it’s genuine and makes your heart tingle. His character development is one of my favorite things about this cute and fun anime. The ending is just…ugh. I’m not going to say anything because that’s for you to find out.

Your Lie In April

Listen, this is one of the animes that I ugly cried to.

Your Lie In April revolves around a piano prodigy, Arima Kousei, who experienced the loss of his mother at a young age. Following the tragedy, he completely lost the ability to hear the sound of his own piano although his hearing was fine. Two years go by and his life only seems to be spiraling downward, that is until he meets Kaori Miyazono, a crazed, free-spirited and brilliant violinist. Not only does she stir up his world, she also guides him back to the world where he once knew so very well.

This is not your typical romance shoujo, although at some parts it may seem like it, but you’ll be able to pick out the deeper elements this anime is delivering throughout the series. I’m not going to get into more details with this one but there’s one last thing I’ll say: this anime reminds you that no matter the duration of the relationship, some people are meant to be placed in your life at a certain time, only just long enough to leave an everlasting impact in your life.

I’m emotional just thinking about the ending…it hurts so good.

My Little Monster

My Little Monster is about a delinquent boy, Haru, who falls for his studious classmate, Shizuku, who only cares about studying, after she showed up to his place to drop off some homework. This is another high school romance but it’s not cheesy or overly emotional like what you would normally expect from a shoujo.

Haru isn’t a shy guy at all and he says whatever, and I do mean whatever, he thinks, but that simply comes from his straight-forward nature. Shizuku learns that Haru isn’t what people perceive him to be  ̶ he’s just a misunderstood individual. She gets to witness the loving and caring side of him, which causes her to feel all soft for him and well…I get in the same boat.

Haru declares his love for Shizuku in the first episode, but that does not take away from the climax point of the anime. The way their love unwinds is nothing short of a fascinating and amusing trip to see. The supporting characters along with their personalities, stories, and character development help tie everything together nicely, including a rooster named Nagoya. No element in this anime feels excessive or unnecessary. This is such an exhilarating anime to me and is definitely one that anyone can watch and enjoy.

Blue Spring Ride

Futaba gets a second chance to reunite with her middle school lover, Kou. However, a lot has changed in the duration of them being apart. Especially for Kou  ̶ he grew colder and aloof. As the plot goes on, piece by piece details regarding Kou’s cause of change in character are revealed.

Blue Spring Ride strays away from making the love story between Kou and Futaba the focal point, and instead puts a heavy emphasis on the importance of friendship and its ability to pull you out of even the darkest, most hollow hole  ̶ once you let it. This anime presents an uplifting mood as we witness the persistent support and love Kou receives from his group of friends, of which Futaba is apart of, no matter how far he tries to wander off. They make it their mission to help Kou find the light in life again. Simultaneously on the side, Fubata tries to rebuild the connection her and Kou once shared.

The interactions and relationships shared between Kou, Futaba and their three friends are pleasant and pure to watch. You can’t help but smile, and especially the little moments shared between Kou and Futaba!

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Although these are all high school romance, they encompass all the main love elements and will stir up the emotions in you. So I hope you check them out and leave a comment here or on Twitter @GeekGalsCo on which one made you the softest!