The Summer 2026 rom-com anime lineup offers a wide variety of options, ranging from lighthearted school romances to stories with more unique premises. If you’re looking for titles worth keeping an eye on this season, the following list can serve as a starting point.
9. Hana-Kimi Season 2
Hana-Kimi Season 2 (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e 2nd Season) The story continues with Mizuki Ashiya, who is still posing as a boy at the boarding school in order to stay close to her idol, Sano. The situation has now become even more complicated because Sano has discovered Mizuki’s secret, while Nakatsu finds himself increasingly caught up in confusing emotions.
With its combination of a school setting, hidden identities, and an ever-evolving love triangle, this season still delivers a shoujo rom-com that relies on character dynamics and effective misunderstandings.
8. The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Season 3
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You Season 3 (Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo 3rd Season) The story continues with Rentaro Aijo as he navigates his relationships with his ever-growing number of soulmates.
Season 3 is expected to continue featuring absurd comedy, a breakneck pace, and deliberately over-the-top romantic interactions as part of its main appeal. Amid all the chaos, the series remains known for its ability to provide heartwarming moments for each character, ensuring it doesn’t rely solely on harem tropes.
7. Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her
Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her (It Turned Out That the Elegant, Beautiful Girl Standing at the Edge of the Sky Was Actually a Childhood Friend I Used to Play With, Thinking She Was a Boy) Following Haruki, who transferred schools, she was surprised to realize that the popular girl in her class was actually a childhood friend she had once thought was a boy. In public, the heroine comes across as an unapproachable bishoujo, but when she’s alone with Haruki, her old, laid-back self resurfaces.
This premise provides a strong foundation for a rom-com because it combines osananajimi nostalgia, the gap between public and private personas, and chemistry that develops through natural awkwardness.
6. Sorry About My Little Brothers
Sorry About My Little Brothers (Uchi no Otouto-domo ga Sumimasen) The story centers on Ito Narita, a high school student who must adjust to her new family after her mother remarries. After moving, she finds that she is now living with four stepbrothers, each with a different personality—ranging from the most mature to the most difficult to deal with.
Stories like this leave room for domestic comedy, small everyday conflicts, and the gradual development of relationships, so their appeal will likely hinge on a balance between family dynamics and romantic elements.
5. Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life
Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life (Hanaori-san wa Tensei Shite mo Kenka ga Shitai) The story follows Ryusei Narukami, a former Demon King who now lives as a shut-in NEET, until he eventually returns to society and takes a job as a teacher. His life changes when he reunites with Meteor Hanaori, a former Hero who once defeated him and now lives as an ordinary high school student.
From there, this anime offers a romantic comedy with an unusual premise, as the relationship between these two former arch-enemies evolves from the remnants of their old rivalry into a new closeness in a world that has now found peace.
4. Rich Girl Caretaker: I’m Secretly the Caregiver of the Most Popular Girl at This School for Rich Kids
Rich Girl Caretaker: I’m Secretly the Caregiver of the Most Popular Girl at This School for Rich Kids (Saijo no Osewa: At the Elite School Full of Beautiful Girls, I Ended Up Taking Care of the School’s Most Popular Young Lady (While Improving My Life Skills)) It tells the story of an encounter between an ordinary boy and the most popular girl at an elite school, who turns out to have a very messy personal life.
In front of others, she appears to be the perfect, unapproachable “ojousama,” but in private, she actually needs someone to take care of her daily needs. This premise is quite common in the world of rom-com light novels, but it still holds its appeal through the “moe gap,” intimate interactions in private settings, and the potential for chemistry to blossom from a relationship that starts out purely practical.
3. KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE
KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE (Otome Kaijuu Caraméliser) The story follows Kuroe Akaishi, a reclusive high school student living with a rare disease that causes terrifying changes to her body. It turns out that this condition holds another, far stranger secret: every time her romantic feelings reach a peak, she transforms into a giant monster.
With Arata Minami at the center of the story, this anime presents a romantic comedy that takes the metaphor of “first love” very literally, so its main appeal lies in the blend of absurd comedy, teenage awkwardness, and emotional growth—all wrapped up in a kaiju concept.
2. You and I Are Polar Opposites, Season 2
You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 (Seihantai na Kimi to Boku 2nd Season) The series continues the daily lives of Suzuki and Tani as their relationship has evolved since the previous season. Unlike many rom-coms that focus on the pre-dating phase, this series highlights how two people with completely opposite personalities navigate their relationship amid school life and their social circles.
Its main strengths lie in the natural-feeling interactions, the small conflicts that feel close to everyday life, and the chemistry between the couple that grows through their different ways of thinking and expressing their feelings.
1. Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You (Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari) Follow Sasaki, a 45-year-old office worker who is weary of life’s pressures and finds a little peace through his habit of smoking. On one particularly difficult day, he couldn’t find Yamada, the supermarket cashier who usually offered him a little comfort, and instead met Tayama, a mysterious woman who invited him to smoke with her behind the supermarket.
Starting from that simple premise, this anime offers a rom-com that feels more mature and understated, with its main appeal lying in the dialogue, misunderstandings about identity, and relationships that develop through small moments—the very moments that feel the most human.
