Starting out our list is a fan favorite of the year, Beastars 2nd Season! Legoshi and Haru went through some majorly traumatic events in the first season and grew closer because of it. The two are incredibly cute together, even though Legoshi has trouble admitting his feelings directly to Haru for the first half of the season. In the end, though, his ultimate confession comes in the form of a marriage proposal!! While it throws Haru for a loop, we can’t help but find it sweet that she still considers his crazy ideas, even turning down other animals’ company. Haru and Legoshi even say “I love you” this season! Had there been a bigger focus on the two’s relationship, we probably would’ve rated this anime couple even higher!

Few things are quite as sweet as the childhood romance turned wholesome courtship between Bocchan and Alice. Alice constantly flirts with The Duke of Death, often flustering but delighting him. One of our favorite moments happens out in the snow, when the two have a snowball fight. It’s difficult for Bocchan to actually land a hint on Alice, but as soon as he does, she teases him about making her all wet! He flops into the snow in an embarrassed heap! Later, she admires a snowman version of Bocchan and remembers how he comforted her after his noble friends told her she didn’t belong on the estate, back when they were children. It’s ridiculously cute.

We can’t help but fall in love with Alice’s determination to break Bocchan’s curse. On top of that, Bocchan declares his plan to marry Alice in episode one — he decides he’ll put the ring on her finger with his own hands! It was hard to not give this anime couple more of a spotlight, but there’s time for the upcoming season two to steal a better place!

Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura are champions at breaking the mold. Hori prefers housework and simple clothing to her flashy, popular school life. Similarly, Miyamura is hiding his own secret life: nine piercings and a series of tattoos. When the two meet, it’s like they’ve finally been seen for who they really are! From the very start the two flirt in an awkwardly adorable way: things start small with Hori’s realization that she doesn’t know Miyamura’s first name, but she can’t bring herself to ask him! When she finally admits the blunder, Miyamura is so good-natured that he just laughs and writes his full name out for Hori to save forever. How cute is that?!

Horimiya plays out over the course of a little more than a school year, and in that time, the two grow closer in what might be mundane ways if they didn’t play out so cutely. The two end up being very protective over each other, even against other students. Miyamura defends Hori against the Student Council when they accuse her of losing vital paperwork, and Hori protects Miyamura from the advances of Remi, a Student Council member who is already dating the Student Council President. All of that happens in just the first three episodes, and it only gets sweeter from there! The slowburn realization of this anime couple is extremely satisfying to watch, helping them earn their rightful place on this list!

If you want a domestic anime couple with a heavy overlay of fantasy, look no further than the adorable Rit and Red! Rit moves in with Red to help run his apothecary shop, and from then on, the flirting is nonstop. Rit is incredibly honest with her feelings, regularly causing battle-hardened Red to blush. In return, Red is ridiculously sweet with her: at one point even twirling her around in the air while he thanks her for her help in the shop. They even share a few kisses throughout the series!! By the end, Red has even decided he’s ready to call Rit his wife, making this one of the sweetest finales of the year!

Tooru Honda and Kyou Souma are the ultimate fan favorites of not just slice-of-life anime, but all anime couples of the year! We loved watching the end of their struggles to be together and end the Souma curse (but especially Kyou’s). We only see two kisses throughout the season, but they are rife with emotion, making them all the more meaningful. The two are even confirmed to stay together til their very end, as we get to see their granddaughter: a sweet little girl who looks just like Tooru! It’s been a long wait to get to see the end of their story in anime format, but Fruits Basket The Final Season brought our favorite anime couple home for good.