We’re starting our list off with an oldie that is still as popular today as it was back in the days: the undead love story of Vampire Knight.

Yuuki cannot remember her childhood or where she came from but has now found refuge as the adopted daughter of Cross Academy’s chairman. What might seem like an ordinary academy at first glance, actually hides a dark secret: at Cross Academy humans and vampires study side by side. Yuuki is one of the few human students aware of this secret and it’s her job as guardian to establish peace between the two races. On top of that, her private life is no walk in the park either and she gets stuck between two men she loves deeply.

The love triangle between Yuuki, Zero (her fellow human guardian) and Kaname (the handsome leader of the vampires) is one of the key aspects of Vampire Knight. From the very beginning of the show it is made clear what the heart of each character feels and as a viewer, you keep wondering how the story will unfold. What makes this love triangle especially interesting is the added component of featuring different races, so if you love vampire stories, but haven’t watched Vampire Knight yet, we’d say it’s about time to change that.

From a story featuring creatures of the night, we are now moving on to one featuring gifted musicians.

Kousei’s life started out great: he was a musical prodigy who enjoyed nothing more than playing the piano. But things changed when his mother passed away and with her, his musical abilities left him. He had already given up on music when violinist Kaori Miyazono crosses his path. The young girl is everything Kousei isn’t: energetic, colorful, vibrant, full of life and in love with her own music. Can the young girl turn Kousei’s fate around?

Two players are on the field, but where does the love triangle come in? The missing piece is Tsubaki, a childhood friend of Kousei who has been with him from the very beginning. She is always there for him, cheering him on and slowly but surely has to watch her sisterly love for him grow into a more romantic kind of love. This love triangle is simply heartbreaking: on the one hand, we have a loving childhood friend who has known Kousei for years, on the other hand, we have a beautiful girl who might be able to give Kousei’s life meaning again. If you want to know how this story ends, then check out Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.

If you’re a fan of a good mixture of drama, psychology, and mystery, then you should definitely be familiar with our next recommendation, Zetsuen no Tempest.

Yoshino and Mahiro became friends under unlikely circumstances, but everything changes when Aika (Yoshino’s girlfriend and Mahiro’s younger sister) was killed. Mahiro sets out to find the one responsible, while Yoshino wanders the streets aimlessly and just wants to forget about the past. A completely new adventure they are yet to understand is about to unfold for the two of them, but can they forget about the people of their past?

At this point, you might wonder how a brother could be part of a love triangle involving his sister (no, it’s not that kind of anime). Actually, Aika is not related to Mahiro by blood and he soon realizes that what he feels for her is more than love between siblings. Both guys care about her more than anything else in the world and cannot believe that she had to leave them in such a brutal way. Zetsuen no Tempest’s love triangle stands out since one member is already deceased, but the remaining two are still stuck in their rivaling love for her. A big recommendation of ours!

True Tears is an anime that has passed underneath the radar of many viewers, even though it’s an outstanding story when it comes to down to earth love stories.

This anime starts out rather ordinary: Hiromi is a beautiful, popular, smart and athletic girl and Shinichirou has a big crush on her. He’s lucky enough to be living in the same home as her, but he soon has to realize that there’s something Hiromi is hiding from the world. While being cheerful in public, she acts cold and distanced at home. At the same time, energetic Noe steps into Shinichirou’s life and shows more than just a little bit of interest in him.

If you’re a fan of romance, Slice of Life and/or school stories, then you should be able to enjoy True Tears. What makes this anime so special in our eyes is the fact that it’s very down to earth. There are no overly dramatic moments nor crazy fights between the characters. Instead, you really get a chance to get to know the characters and find out more about their particular backgrounds. True Tears is a charming story and gives you a new take on love triangles, so we’d recommend you to give it a try.

Next up is a show that will not only make your hearts beat a little bit faster, but also teach you more about Japanese culture.

Arata, Chihaya, and Taichi meet in elementary school, and while being fundamentally different the three soon become close friends. What stands at the heart of their friendship is a shared love for karuta, a traditional Japanese card game. Chihaya, in particular, becomes obsessed with the game and starts participating in professional tournaments. As it goes in life, the three friends slowly start growing apart only to cross paths again in high school. While the passion for karuta still connects them, there is now a different kind of love slowly developing among the three students.

Chihayafuru is a beautifully designed and animated story and a definite must-watch for fans of Japanese culture or Slice of Life stories. On top of having a captivating storyline, you will also notice your heart beating faster every time the love triangle emerges. Chihaya seems to be oblivious to the feelings of the two guys but cares about them deeply in her own way. At the same time, the guys are afraid of losing her as a friend and thus try to suppress their romantic feelings. It’s a bittersweet feeling that will keep you at the edge of your seat so we definitely urge all of you to watch Chihayafuru if you haven’t already.

You will certainly remember Ao Haru Ride, the hit love story from the Summer season 2014, right? If not, here is a quick reminder.

Futaba grew up as a cheerful, sweet and innocent girl who loved everything cute and feminine. But what made her popular with her male classmates only brought her jealousy from the girls she wanted to befriend. That’s why in high school she decided to turn her image around and become a cool tomboy instead of a sweet heartbreaker. Just as Futaba starts getting used to her new life, a crush from her past reappears and threatens to reveal her secret.

In Ao Haru Ride there isn’t simply one love triangle, but rather a complex constellation of different feelings the main cast has for each other. While Futaba’s feelings for Kou might stand in the middle of the story, the crush her newly-found best friend Yuuri develops for him also cannot be neglected. Ao Haru Ride is all about growing up and understanding who you are and who you want to be. Romance is part of that painful progress and is beautifully incorporated into the overall story of Ao Haru Ride. Two thumbs up from us!

Next up we have another story set in a school with White Album 2.

Haruki, Setsuna, and Kazusa are friends, united by their love for music and performance. Driven by the wish to revive their music club, the three students cross paths and somehow end up becoming more important to each other than anyone had anticipated. But while they all care for each other on a friendly level, there are still these romantic feelings between them that ultimately could drive them apart and destroy the music they’ve created together.

You might scratch your head at this point and wonder why we included a sequel instead of the original series. The reason is simple: White Album 2 is not so much a sequel as it is its own story, so you don’t even have to watch the original White Album to enjoy this show. This being said, White Album 2 features a special kind of love triangle where the two “rivals” are actually not rivals at all, but friends. This means that while the two girls hope to start a relationship with Haruki, they also don’t want to hurt each other in the process. It’s a complex situation that will entertain you for many episodes so give this show a try.

College is the time in your life where you can reinvent yourself, grow up and fall in love - and that is exactly what Banri does in the comedy show Golden Time.

Banri suffers from amnesia and has troubles remembering certain aspects of his past. But this doesn’t stop him from walking into the future with confidence and starting a completely new life as a law student in Tokyo. What he didn’t expect though was someone as beautiful and energetic as Kouko stepping into his life and turning it upside down.

Once again we have a show where everything seems to go well between two main characters, only for a childhood friend from the past to show up and change everything. On top of the coming-of-age aspect and the love triangle, there is also Banri’s mysterious past waiting to be uncovered, so there are more than enough elements to keep you entertained. We admit that Golden Time is sometimes viewed as a controversial show that you either love or hate. We don’t want to pass any judgment, but if you’re looking for a love triangle mixed with a fun college/coming-of-age story then you should give Golden Time at least a chance.

Only two anime are left on today’s list and since we figured you haven’t shed enough tears by this point, why don’t we throw AnoHana into the mix?

Few things are more innocent than the friendship between young children. In the case of Jinta and his friends, this friendship seemed like it would last forever, at least in their hearts. But everything changes when one of them dies unexpectedly and everyone goes their own way in order to forget about the past. Can the friends become close to each other once again?

Oh, AnoHana, one of our all-time favorite tearjerkers. No matter how much you promise yourself you won’t start crying, by the end of this little gem tears will almost certainly cover your cheeks. While the friendship between the main cast might be the most important part of AnoHana’s story, there is also a small love triangle going on between Jinta, Menma, and Naruko, who doesn’t want to admit to herself that she has feelings for her childhood friend. All in all, this might be one of the most tragic love triangles on our list since it not only consists of heartbreak, but also jealousy, death, and regret.

We have come to the end of today’s list, but before we release you to give all of today’s choices a try, we still have one more show waiting to be introduced: Nagi no Asukara.

We all know that life on earth started inside the water, but Nagi no Asukara takes this idea a little bit further. In this universe, humans originally lived underwater and it was only a few of them who decided to abandon their world to live on land. Years passed and the distance between the two different worlds keeps increasing. Now, a group of students leaves the ocean to lead a normal life on land, but will they be able to overcome their differences and the hatred that drives the two worlds apart?

Nagi no Asukara is easily one of the most beautiful anime on this list; the animation, design and color scheme simply interact flawlessly to make for a stunning viewing experience. The love triangle in question unfolds between three childhood friends who make their way to the surface together. Once again, the characters involved are afraid of admitting their feelings since they do not want to ruin the friendship they have. But sometimes feelings are too strong to be suppressed, so check this anime out if you are curious how it will end. Let us just say that it is a lovely story that combines important issues like discrimination, segregation, and heartbreak with a beautiful scenery.