This classic romcom is on the older side, but it’s still highly regarded to this day because of its expertly written characters and a finely honed balance between comedy and drama. High school students Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka are similar to Hori and Miyamura in that their actual personalities are nothing like how people perceive them from afar: gentle and domestic Ryuuji is thought to be a delinquent because of his scary face, while fiery Taiga is underestimated due to her short stature and cutesy look. Tsundere connoisseurs will recognize Taiga as one of the most celebrated examples of the archetype in anime history, but you don’t need to have godlike taste to appreciate this story of two fire-forged friends who can’t seem to realize that the love they’ve been searching for was right in front of them all along.

If you’re looking for a romance with slightly older (and nerdier) characters, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is a fantastic option. This anime, which actually got its start as a self-published comic on Pixiv, is all about the adorkable adventures of two co-workers who bond over their mutual love of all things geeky while still trying to exist as adults in the real world. Narumi and Hirotaka get together pretty much immediately and the only other important characters are another established otaku couple, so the time that would normally be wasted on will-they-won’t-they pining can instead be packed full of cute relationship moments and video game references. If Hori and Miyamura had met as adults, we imagine that this is exactly what they would be like!

Maika Sakuranomiya is a sweet, gentle girl who wants nothing more than to travel the world one day, but can’t seem to nail down a part-time job to fund her dream because her unintentionally menacing smile creeps out customers. Luckily, that smile finally comes in handy when she gets scouted to be the “sadist” at a themed café where the waitresses roleplay various characteristics to entertain customers. Maika grows into her role at the café (she’s surprisingly good at it), makes friends with the staff, and hints at a very precious romance with the Italian manager Dino – who is just as obsessed with Japan as Maika is with the rest of the world. Blend S isn’t as plot-driven as Horimiya, but it’s fun to watch this sweet girl play into people’s image of her (which we would pay to see Hori and Miyamura do) and find love along the way.

In Horimiya, the two leads are so comfortable around one another that it seems like they’ve been close for years, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny-Girl Senpai captures that same feeling with its main couple Sakuta and Mai. The plot definitely has a more supernatural aspect to it (the characters’ personal issues manifest into reality as things like selective invisibility, time loops, clones, etc.), but the characters are so well-written and have such perfect chemistry between them that even non-sci-fi fans can enjoy this anime. Be warned, though: Rascal is a massive tear-jerker, making us cry within the first three episodes! Definitely bring some tissues.

We’ve written extensively about this Fall 2020 surprise hit already, but in case you didn’t know, Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You is a feel-good slice-of-life anime about two teens who get married before they’ve even had a chance to properly get to know one another. This isn’t some trashy Netflix reality show, though – Nasa and Tsukasa genuinely love each other and do their best to navigate all of the aspects of married life (picking out furniture, enjoying boring meals at restaurants, meeting each other’s family and friends) as a team, growing closer in the process. Nasa’s dogged determination reminds us a lot of Hori’s independent nature and devotion to her little brother, so we could see her going down a similar path and getting married to Miyamura at a young age as well. We’re sure it would work out well for them!

As the first female Student Council president of the formerly all-male Seika High School, Misaki Ayuzawa has her work cut out for her to transform this slovenly institution into a place worthy of its new female students. Everyone knows her as a massive hardass who uses martial arts and strategically placed death glares to enforce her agenda, but she harbors a closely guarded secret – she works part-time at a maid café to support her family! Popular and talented ace student Usui happens to walk into her café and promises to keep her secret, and from then on, the two are inseparable. The dynamic between Misaki and Usui is very similar to Hori and Miyamura (a cool/mysterious guy and an easily flustered but mature girl), to the point where Horimiya may very well be an homage to Maid Sama. If you love classic romance anime, give this one a shot!