Not all romances are pining, unrequited disasters, and love at first sight isn't always the go-to for storytelling. The friends-to-lovers arc is one of the more realistic relationship dynamics. It can be boring if there isn't enough character development, tension, and conflict, but there are many anime titles that carry the relationship off perfectly.
Sometimes a couple will be friends since childhood and may have lost touch over time and then reconnect. They may be such best friends that they try to deny their feelings out of fear that they won't be returned or that the relationship won't work, and they will lose the friendship. Either way, a friends-to-lovers arc makes for a great, convincing romance.
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10 Anne Of Green Gables
The protagonist of Anne of Green Gables didn't have any friends until the Cuthberts adopted her and took her to Prince Edward Island. Attending the local schoolhouse doesn't go well at first. Anne's first and closest friend, Diana, is there for her, but it's not long before Anne is bullied and singled out as an odd duck.
Gilbert Blythe takes an immediate interest in Anne, even though Anne doesn't trust his intentions. He may tease her from time to time for her colorful emotions, but he has her best interests at heart. Gilbert is also more mature than most of their classmates because he must take on a lot of his family's responsibilities. Anne and Gilbert are friends for years and years before they officially get together as adults.
9 My Senpai Is Annoying
My Senpai Is Annoying is part slow-burn romance and part buddy comedy. Futaba and Takeda are delightful opposites. Takeda is a loud and oversized himbo who barely seems to fit in an office setting. Futaba is short and feisty, like she has something to prove.
Right away, Takeda reaches out to Futaba and takes her under his wing. He spends a lot of time with her and comes to her rescue over every little thing. Though it couldn't be more obvious to the audience and everyone about them that they're bound to end up together, the two insist on maintaining a friend dynamic for a long time.
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8 Science Fell In Love, So I Tried To Prove It
In Science Fell In Love, So I Tried To Prove It, Ayame and Shinya want to test their friendship — for the sake of science, of course. The two have worked as colleagues for a bit before Ayame confesses her feelings. The two friends want to quantify what love is as researchers, using themselves as guinea pigs.
Surely, nothing could go awry. Love can't be measured, though, and it can't be reasoned away. The way Shinya and Ayame test their friendship is delightfully absurd, and everyone but them knows exactly how the results of their tests will present.
7 Lovely Complex
Risa and Heikichi are in love with other people in Lovely Complex. They band together, finding solace in how they're both different because of their individual extreme heights. Height may seem like not such a big deal, but things like that can make a high school experience worse, especially when it's exacerbated by the pain of unrequited crushes.
Risa's reasons for liking Ryouji are entirely surface-level and attached to her insecurities, and Heikichi isn't that different with Chiharu. As the two grow to be friends, they realize that they have way more in common with each other than with the classmates they only liked because of their heights. They are a goofy pair, and after they resolve their tangled love lives, they eventually have a sweet relationship.
6 Vampire Knight
Zero's vampire nature makes his friendship with Yuki very emotionally and physically tense in Vampire Knight. He can be reckless with her, but he genuinely cares for her, although she's unsure of her emotions about him. He can be very moody, but they have many genuine, vulnerable moments between friends.
Though her emotions are complex, Yuki wants to comfort Zero and get to the bottom of his angst. They often take solace in each other. Her presence alone is what helps Zero carry on through difficult moments.
5 Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun
Chiyo believes that she's quite in love with Nozaki in Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun, but her love confession goes terribly when Nozaki is too dense to realize what she's trying to tell him. Chiyo is adaptable, though, and doesn't feel like he owes her anything. She's happy to work with him, and the two become genuine friends as they get to know each other.
Nozaki may be oblivious sometimes, but he's still a gentleman. He insists on walking on the outside of the street when it's raining outside so that Chiyo is safe on the inside of the sidewalk. He also once offers her flowers with a kuudere-worthy expression. Though Chiyo understands him more as a whole person by now, she can't help but melt over the little token (at first, at least). She may have started out making a rash confession to Nozaki, but their slow-burn romance is founded on a real friendship.
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4 Fena: Pirate Princess
Yukimaru is always there to protect Fena when she really needs someone in Fena: Pirate Princess. The dynamic began when they were children when he helped her escape assassination. They lose touch and are reunited many years later when Fena needs to escape a life of coercion.
They are stuck in a cycle of memory and separation. But Yukimaru's heart is constant, and he cares about Fena as a friend just as much as the love of his life. Even when she seems farthest from him, he extends the hand of friendship. And no matter what happens between them, that bond will always be the link that brings Fena back to him.
3 Vampire Princess Miyu
Larva's relationship with Miyu in Vampire Princess Miyu starts out as servant, or bodyguard, and princess, and eventually that dynamic blooms into a friendship. Larva begins as her reluctant ally but is eventually moved by Miyu's darker emotions. He doesn't want to leave her alone with them, which is the motivation of a true friend.
It's a good thing that Miyu has Larva because she doesn't really have anyone else. They have an extremely slow-burn romance. In the anime, their romance is mostly subtext, but they do kiss in the manga.
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2 Yona Of The Dawn
Yona grew up with Hak in Yona of the Dawn, and though there's plenty of affection between them. Hak never passes up an opportunity to tease her. To be fair, Yona is incredibly naive and silly. Teasing her (if affectionately) is hard to resist.
As Hak steps into adulthood and becomes a powerful warrior, he can't help but notice that Yona, too, has grown into an elegant and strong woman. Even in the darkest moments, Hak sees Yona's strength and wants to protect her and uplift her. And though Yona hesitates to advance their friendship into something entirely new, she cannot bear the idea of ever being separated from Hak or seeing him hurt.
1 Sweet Blue Flowers
It takes a little bit for Fumi and Akira to realize their feelings for each other in Sweet Blue Flowers. Compulsory heteronormativity sometimes means that it takes a while for non-straight people to untangle their feelings, and then it can take longer for them to feel safe to act on them — all of which is relatable and understandable.
Akira and Fumi always support each other, even when it isn't easy to, and their friendship blooms into something sincere and lovely. The two young ladies fall in love in the small moments, as friends sometimes do. Fans often describe their relationship as incredibly realistic on many levels.
