First up is a recommendation that combines romance and action with an ancient Japanese tale. High school girl Tamaki Kasuga leads a normal life until she is sent to live with her grandmother in a remote village. As soon as she arrives there, mythical beings start attacking Tamaki and she has to rely on a group of mysterious guys to protect her. As it turns out, Tamaki was born into a family of powerful women and is now expected to carry on the roles of the Tamayori Princess together with her group of male guardians. Can she fulfill her destiny? Hiiro no Kakera is often named as one of the better Reverse Harem anime out there. The dynamics between Tamaki and her (of course) good-looking guardian's promise a lot of drama and romance. The action aspect of Hiiro no Kakera, too, doesn’t have to hide and is especially entertaining for all fans of fantastic and supernatural stories. The mythical Tamayori Princess is our first recommendation!

Moving on to a show that most of you should be familiar with, next up is Date A Live. Student Shidou Itsuka only has one goal on his mind: protect his little sister and lead a simple life. But this turns out to be harder than expected when Shidou is sucked into a world he wasn’t even aware existed. Thrown into a war between mankind and Spirits, mythical beings from a different dimension, he finds his own way of creating peace: he makes the Spirits fall in love with him. If you haven’t heard of or watched Date A Live yet, then you might be scratching your head at this point. True, Date A Live’s storyline might seem a little bit over the top, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t entertaining. You’ll definitely get more than enough action (often combined with Mecha and/or Sci-Fi elements) and a rather unique look at romance. Date A Live is a fun adventure that you shouldn’t take too seriously, so check it out if you haven’t already.

Next up is a show completely different from Date A Live. We are talking about the historical drama Hakuouki. Set in Edo Japan, this anime tells the story of 16-year-old Chizuru Yukimura as she sets out to find her father who has gone missing in Kyoto. The long journey is already dangerous enough for a girl her age, but matters get worse once she reaches the capital. There, Chizuru is attacked by human-like monsters and taken hostage by the fierce samurai group called Shinsengumi. Life as Chizuru knew it is about to change. Hakuouki is a definite must watch for all fans of historical dramas. While Chizuru’s story is a work of fiction, the background information given throughout the show is historically accurate. Even if the idea of a history lesson in anime form bores you, the romance and action components of Hakuouki are more than enough to make this show entertaining. If your idea of action involves samurai, epic sword fights, and old-school virtues, then Hakuouki is the show for you.

You like romance, but are looking for a little bit more Ecchi? Then pay close attention to our next recommendation, Campione!. Once again, the story begins with a high school student who has led a normal life up until now. Everything changes when Kusanagi Godou receives the title of God Slayer or Campione! and is expected to fight and kill ancient gods. On top of that, he suddenly finds himself surrounded by a fellowship of good-looking and overly attached females. Looks like the dream of any 16-year-old boy becomes a reality for Godou. Ancient monsters? Check. Grand-scale fights? Check. Lots of large-breasted women? Triple check. Campione! might not reinvent the wheel, but it brings a lot of well-established elements to the table. The action of Campione! keeps a good pace and the Romance/Ecchi parts are always good for a quick laugh or a few butterflies in your stomach. Campione! is an all-rounder when it comes to Action/Romance anime so definitely check it out!

Next up is an oldie but a goodie, the timeless classic Shakugan no Shana. What would you do if you found out that the universe you’ve known is not the only one out there? Yuuji Sakai has to find an answer to this question since he not only has to accept that dangerous beings are emerging from a parallel universe but also that he has been reduced to a so-called “Torch” and the only thing he can do now is wait for his entire existence to be extinguished. Shakugan no Shana is a definite recommendation if you are not looking for a romance between a main and a side character, but rather one between two main characters. Yuuji and Shana are connected by fate and slowly get closer to each other as the story unfolds. The action of Shakugan no Shana offers a lot of supernatural and fantastic elements, so check it out if that’s what you are looking for in a good show.

You will certainly remember the hit show with the incredibly long name, right? If not, let us refresh your memory of Danmachi. Orario is a mythical city which is better known as the Dungeon. What might look like a normal city above ground actually hides a huge labyrinth filled with traps, monsters and treasures underneath its surface. Danmachi tells the story of a group of adventurers as they explore the hidden labyrinth together. Danmachi is a fun show, there is no other way to describe it. The idea of a dungeon (as most of us know it from video games) is interesting and the characters of this show are simple yet somehow charming. Once again, we have a show which doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rather brings together a lot of different genres that work well together. With Danmachi you can expect lots of comedy, good-looking female characters, and a fantastic adventure. Doesn’t sound too bad, if you ask us.

Our next recommendation brings us back to the pre-2010 era and reminds us why vampires are so popular in modern entertainment. It’s time for Vampire Knight! Cross Academy looks like a common elite boarding school at first glance, but it hides a dark secret: The students of Cross Academy are divided into Day Class and Night Class and only a few individuals know that the students of Night Class are in fact powerful vampires. Yuuki and Zero are two of the few students aware of their identities and it’s up to them to protect their secret. But nothing has prepared them for the dangers heading towards Cross Academy. Think of vampires what you want, but you have to admit that Vampire Knight is a highly popular show that many people still enjoy to this day. The action in this little gem is solid and keeps you guessing of what might happen next. More importantly, the romance of Vampire Knight does not disappoint. The love triangle between Yuki, Zero and Kaname adds a nice touch to the storyline and makes you wonder how Yuki will decide in the end. Watch Vampire Knight if you want to find out!

For the first recommendation on our Top 3, we have another classic in the anime world with Kaze no Stigma. Yagami Kazuma was born into a powerful family of fire magic users but is soon disowned due to his weak magical abilities. Who would have thought that he would reappear years later as a powerful user of the wind arts? Definitely not his family members who are still not ready to accept Kazuma with open arms. Together with tough girl Ayano, he is thrown into a war between two opposing families. Here we have another show that highlights the relationship between two main characters. Both of them are powerful, strong-willed and rough around the edges, so you can expect a lot of unexpected twists and turns with this show. As you’ve probably already guessed from the synopsis, Kaze no Stigma offers more than enough action and is especially entertaining for all fans of magic and fantasy. Kaze no Stigma seems to never get out of age.

We continue our list of older shows that still deserve some recognition with Blood+, the action-filled hit show from Fall 2005. Saya Otonashi grew up believing she was a normal girl, with the exception of her inability to remember any events of her life up to one year ago. However, the peaceful life she knew soon comes to an end when blood-thirsty monsters show up in her city - and she fights them with powers she didn’t know she possessed. Soon Saya has to learn the truth about her existence and who she has to become in order to protect the ones she loves. Blood+ is a definite must-watch for all fans of good action and bloody battle scenes. On top of that, you can also enjoy drama, horror elements and a strong heroine who defies the stereotype that all female anime characters need to be saved. The romance in this anime is subtle, yet harmonizes perfectly with the rest of the show. 50 episodes are more than enough to last you for a while, so check out Blood+ if you haven’t already.

Our last pick and final recommendation for his list is nothing other than Zetsuen no Tempest. Yoshino Takigawa leads a simple life, with the exception that he’s secretly dating the younger sister of his best friend Mahiro. But when she becomes the victim of a mysterious murder, Mahiro sets out to find the culprit and make him pay for his crime. Yoshino, on the other hand, tries to forget about the past. This changes when a strange girl contacts him and asks for his assistance to save her life. Now, nothing remains as it was before. Just like Blood+, this show doesn’t only offer action and romance, but also drama, mystery, and some other intriguing elements. One of the things that make Zetsuen no Tempest stand out from all the other anime out there is the uncommon constellation of the main cast. Here we don’t have a love triangle, but four teenagers whose lives are intertwined with each other. Not only does this mean lots of drama, but also a lot of action that will make you wonder about what will happen next. Zetsuen no Tempest is a great combination of action and romance and that is why we put it as our top recommendation.