Kodaka Hasegawa has trouble making friends in school due to how he looks. He has blonde hair and a delinquent-like appearance which scare off his classmates. One day, he encounters Yozora Mikazuki who is in the same boat with him. She not only has bad temper, but she also has an imaginary friend. The 2 outcasts realize that they have to do something about their situations and thus, form a group known as the Neighbor’s Club for people who do not have many friends. Some of us go through that awkward phase in high school where we feel like we are out of place and do not make many friends. This anime series portrays that well with its main characters. There is a tad element of romance which is in the form of a harem. Basically, Kodaka is not as bad as he thinks and that there are girls who have crushes on him, only that he is clueless about it.

Shizuku Mizutani, is called “Dry Ice” by her peers, due to her cold and emotionless demeanor. She is hardly interested in anything aside from her studies and plans for future. Shizuku is tasked with delivering class printouts to Haru who rarely attends school, and thus a friendship between them is started. Even though Haru is known as an aggressive and irrepressible monster, he actually has a kind and gentle side. Haru confesses his love towards Shizuku but it takes her much longer to accept her feelings for him. My Little Monster is about the romance between two unsocial beings who help each other to learn to be more sociable and caring towards others. This is a romantic comedy series which features unique and distinctive high school characters.

The “baka”, or the idiot in this story, is the protagonist Akihisa Yoshii. The students in his school, Fumuzuki Academy are divided into classes based on their academic results. Class A is filled with prodigies who also get to enjoy the high class amenities such as fancy seats and air-conditioners. On the other end of the scale is Class F where Akihisa belongs to, which is furnished with worn-out tatami mats and low tables. Mizuki Himeji, whom Akihisa fancies, is a bright student who is unfortunately placed in Class F due to her falling sick on the day of the exam. If you are one who loves cute, funny, yet idiotic form of high school romance, then this anime series fits the bill. Akihisa being a loserish idiot, does not exempt him from being loved by girls! Besides that, the series also features battles among students through the use of summoned beings, which makes it all the more appealing to fans of magical creatures and RPG games!

Raku Ichijou is the heir of a yakuza clan. When he was a kid, he promised his childhood friend that they will get married when they grow up. The girl gave him a locket while she keeps the key. Now that Raku is a teenager, all that he wants to do is live a normal student life and avoid the life of yakuza. He also has a crush on Kosaki Onodera who is his schoolmate. Due to a conflict with the Bee Hive Gang, Raku has to pretend to be in a relationship with Chitoge Kirisaki, the daughter of the Bee Hive Chief. Nisekoi is a romance series of the harem genre which involves a mismatched teenage couple and the search of a childhood crush. It seems like a redundant premise, but Nisekoi is still very enjoyable and does not feature any unlikable main casts. Raku and Chitoge are always at odds with each other, but somehow they look compatible despite their frequent arguments. However, Raku is in love with Kosaki, but he is also motivated to find his childhood love. It is common to develop crushes on more than one person especially during your teenage years, and Nisekoi is an anime that shows that!

Yuuta Togashi used to suffer from chuunibyo during junior high school. Chuunibyo is when a person is deluded into thinking that he or she has special powers. As for Yuuta’s case, he used to believe that he was the Dark Flame Master. Embarrassed by his delusional past, he goes to a new school where he does not know anyone. At the school, he meets Rikka Takanashi, who is delusional and becomes interested in Yuuta. The story deals with borderline mental disorder in a lighthearted way. Teenagers are prone to stress and depression and some of us deal with them through escapism, which can be in the form of make-believe. The reason behind Rikka’s delusion is because of a sad past, and Yuuta wants to help her with that even though he initially doesn’t want to deal with chuunibyou anymore. A boy who used to suffer from delusions coupled with a girl who is suffering from delusions herself, make an odd teenage couple, which is why they seem perfect for each other.

Seika High used to be an all-boys school but it recently transitions into a co-ed school. However, the number of female students is still lacking in the school. Determined to reform the school, Misaki Ayuzawa becomes the first female student council president. Her rigid disciplinary style earns her the nickname of Demon President by the boys in school. She, however, has an embarrassing secret as she works as a part-time maid at a maid café as her family struggles to pay the bills. Her secret is discovered by Takami Usui, the most popular boy school, and he can use it to destroy her reputation or have her wrapped around his little finger. The interaction between a man-hating girl and a cold-hearted ladies man is bound to produce many humorous moments. Obviously, the seemingly clashing personalities will result in many conflicts but it is a theme which is guaranteed to succeed and is loved by many high school romance anime fans. There may be some of you in school who feel like you don’t need a partner and can be totally independent as portrayed by the main characters, but self-reliant people may eventually find their significant other which changes their mind about relationship!

Kuronuma Sawako is a very shy girl, so shy that she has been misunderstood as being malicious. She is compared to the ghost from The Ring and is called Sadako by her classmates. Rumors abound that she can see spirits and curse people. She idolizes the most popular guy in class, Kazehaya Shouta, due to his refreshing personality. When he starts talking to her, it seems like everything starts to change. Slowly, romance develops between the two. One should not judge how good an anime series is based on its summary. Kimi ni Todoke may seem to have a common and simple plot, but it is a high school romance series that is a breath of fresh air to watch. Sawako is like many teenage girls who goes through periods of low self-esteem, but she is lucky to be with the most popular guy in school! This is a classic Cinderella-esque plot which many teenage girls’ dream of.

Sorata Kanda is kicked out from his dorm for keeping a stray cat. He has to move into Sakura Dorm instead which is infamous for hosting misfit students. He finds it hard to get along with the life in the new dorm due to its bizarre residents. Later on, an artistic genius named Mashiro Shiina moves into the dorm whom Sorata thinks he should protect as she is essentially incapable of taking care of herself. The main characters in the story have greater character development compared to the typical romantic comedy series. Each character of the main cast has a story behind them and is in no way one-dimensional. The story also focuses on the friendship between the students in the dorm. The romance is mainly between Kanda, who seems like a regular person with Shiina, who is a clumsy and odd girl. Sometimes, opposites attract as some are not necessarily attracted to a person with the same wavelength.

Haruhi Fujioka is not a rich student unlike the others at the prestigious Ouran Academy. While looking for a quiet place to study, she opens the door of Music Room #3, only to be greeted by a group of boys who form the Host Club. Haruhi carelessly breaks an expensive vase so she has no choice but to work for the Host Club in order to pay her debts. Due to her androgynous appearance and friendly disposition, being a male host proves to be not a very challenging task for her. As the only girl surrounded by a group of boys, it is pretty easy to guess that it would turn out to be a reverse harem series wherein the girl will be liked by many boys. Each boy in the Host Club has his own distinct personality which can be reminiscent of the people you know in school. The rapport among the main casts is a major attraction of the show, besides the humor and cute romance portrayed in the series.

Ryuuji Takasu is misunderstood as a delinquent due his intimidating looks, when in actuality he is really just a nice guy. On the other hand, Taiga Aisaka, whose nickname is Palmtop Tiger, is a cute but bad-tempered girl with a bad reputation. When the two meets, they do not get along well at first, but later on, they decide to work together in order to get close to their respective crushes. Toradora! is about a pair of couple who do not like each other at first, but ends up falling for each other. It is a slice of life anime in a high school setting and the moments in the anime may remind you of the awkward or cute things that had happened in your school life! The characters bond with each other through friendship before love develops. Therefore, it gives you hope that the friendzone is not a permanent zone, as it can progress to a lovers zone!