6 Best Shows Like Junjou Romantica That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Shows Like Junjou Romantica

Junjou Romantica was probably one of the classics that got young adults interested in the Boys Love genre in the first place, if you ask them. Honey’s Anime had previously published an article with suggestions for other anime that are like Junjou Romantica, with some really interesting and excellent choices. Is it something you’ve taken a look at?

Even if you’ve seen them all, don’t be concerned if you’re feeling a little depleted. We’ve compiled a list of more shows like Junjou Romantica that can quench your BL anime cravings until the next big wave comes along. Put your seat belts on and see how many you’ve already seen. If you haven’t, buckle up because you’re in for a treat!

1. Super Lovers

Super Lovers

Super Lovers, an anime based on Abe Miyuki’s manga of the same name, is one of the more recent black-and-white series that has been heavily promoted in Japan. Five years ago, Kaidou Haru traveled to Canada to visit his mother. While there, he met his adopted brother Ren, who was impulsive and anti-social, and the two became close. Haru, on the other hand, had lost all recollection of that summer as a result of the accident that killed his father and stepmother. When Ren shows up in Japan, claiming to be Haru’s ‘brother,’ Haru learns to adjust his life and grow closer to Ren once more, and maybe even find love.

For those who enjoyed Junjou Romantica’s classic Boys Love genre feel, Super Lovers has a slice-of-life domesticity atmosphere with just a hint of romantic comedy. The main couple lives together in Super Lovers. Haru and Ren have a significant age difference, much like Misaki and Usagi. In addition to dealing with themes of coming-of-age, Super Lovers shows us how Ren makes new friends as he grows up. In pastel colors reminiscent of Junjou Romantica, Studio Deen creates Super Lovers, which features a seiyuu cast that includes Maeno Tomoaki, Minagawa Junko, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, as well as Terashima Takuma. Super Lovers is sure to please.

2. Gravitation

Gravitation

The Gravitation series by Murakami Maki is well-known to fans of classic BL anime like Junjou Romantica. Gravitation is an anime series with 13 episodes that aired in 2000 after a 2-episode OVA adaptation. The story follows Shindou Shuichi, an aspiring singer in the band Bad Luck, who falls in love with Yuki Eiri, a popular romance novelist. As he strives to become a big star singer in Japan and warm Yuki’s cold heart to accept him fully as a partner, Shuichi gets up to all kinds of hilarious shenanigans, heartfelt introspections, and learns about Yuki’s dark past.

Gravitation is a must-see if you enjoy shows about how famous couples deal with society’s perceptions of their relationship. Both main couples share a residence, have a significant age difference, and include a sour, cold novelist in their casts. As in Junjou Romantica, where Misaki is frustrated and sometimes baffled by the many problems in Usagi’s family, Gravitation exposes Shuichi to similar frustrations and befuddlement by the many problems in Yuki’s family (plus in-laws).

Because Gravitation is a Studio Deen classic released before Junjou Romantica, the animation looks dated, but that doesn’t detract from the fun! It also has excellent musical accompaniment, thanks to Kotani Kinya, who sang the majority of Bad Luck’s songs, as well as the film’s closing credits song, as well as the voices of Inoue Kazuhiko, Seki Tomokazu, Orikasa Ai, and even Yamaguchi Kappei. Gravitation is a great place to start if you’ve never read anything from the older BL series before Junjou Romantica.

3. Gakuen Heaven

Gakuen Heaven

Bell Liberty Academy, also known as BL Academy (cue snorts) is a prestigious school for boys only that accepts only the most exceptional and gifted students. Thus, Itou Keita is taken aback by the invitation to attend such a prestigious academy, given his inexperience and lack of potential. But Keita slowly develops close friendships with the brilliant students of the academy—from the “King” of the student council, Niwa Tetsuya, and the “Queen” of the school, Saionji Kaoru, the flamboyant captain of the tennis club, Naruse Yukihiko—and Keita adapts and learns the dynamics of life at BL Academy.. Keita, on the other hand, is smitten by his first friend at the academy, the sweet but enigmatic Endou Kazuki, who seems to know more than he lets on about his friend.

It’s based on a 2004 PC game with the same name that featured harem elements and was released in Japan as Gakuen Heaven. As with Junjou Romantica, the best part of Gakuen Heaven is the combination of school and dorm shenanigans. Also, Kazuki and Keita appear to be your typical high school couple, but a twist in the story reveals that, like Usagi and Misaki, they have a significant age difference. A more serious theme emerges towards the end of Gakuen Heaven’s lighthearted and fun nature. In addition to Misaki’s senpai Sakurai Takahiro, other seiyuu from Junjou Romantica appeared in this series as well as Morikawa Toshiyuki and Ryutarou Ryutarou.

4. Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru (Betrayal Knows My Name)

Betrayal Knows My Name

An adaptation of Hotaru Odagiri’s popular manga of the same name, UraBoku follows the story of Sakurai Yuki, an orphaned teenager who is raised in an orphanage after being abandoned at birth. As soon as Yuki touches another person, he is able to see their pasts and emotions. To become an independent man like his childhood friend Wakamiya Kanata, Yuki sets out to achieve this goal, but his path is complicated when he meets Zess, a stranger who claims he’ll protect him from harm. This sets in motion Yuki’s involvement in the centuries old conflict between Zweilts and Duras, which will go on forever.

UraBoku will appeal to fans of Junjou Romantica’s gorgeous bishounen cast. Despite the supernatural and fantasy themes, Yuki is a main character with a personality similar to Misaki’s: while they don’t appear strong, both are hard workers, caring towards others, easily makes friends, and stubborn when it comes to the things they treasure. Usagi, on the other hand, is more like Zess because of their cold demeanors that melt when they see their loved ones. Hoshi Souichirou, Akira Ishida, Takahiro Sakura, Miyano Mamoru, and Jun Fukuyama all appear in the voice cast, as well as Kamiya Hirose and Ono Daisuke. UraBoku is a good choice if you enjoy shounen-ai series with a strong shoujo-fantasy element to them.

5. Princess Princess

Princess Princess

The same folks who brought you Junjou Romantica are back with another title: In the anime version of Princess Princess, Tsuda Mikiyo—another pen name of Zaou Taishi, one of the most widely known BL mangaka, also illustrated the widely popular BL series Love Stage!!—created the manga. When Kouno Tooru, a beautiful transfer student, is suddenly scouted by the cruel student council president to be one of the school’s Princesses, Princess Princess takes place in a boys-only environment.

Students at a boys-only school were encouraged by implementing the Princess System, in which very attractive boys were scouted and dressed as the school’s Princess in various lolita dresses, working to support and encourage the students. Tooru’s glittering life as a Princess admired by all the male students begins along with his fellow Princesses Shihoudani Yuujirou and Yutaka Mikoto.

You might have guessed from the summary that this is a shoujo comedy series rather than a romantic one. There are a lot of bishounen characters in Princess Princess, as well as a lot of interesting supporting characters and hilarious shenanigans — from crossdressing issues to manipulative student council members, from the pain of wearing high-heeled shoes to learning how to use their power as School Princesses, every episode would make you laugh out loud.

Tooru and Yuujirou have some of the most heartfelt episodes in the entire series, and even though the show is not categorized as being from the Shounen Ai subgenre, it doesn’t hold back when it comes to providing plenty of shounen-ai innuendos and fanservice to its audience. Fukuyama Jun, Kakihara Tetsuya, and Paku Romi play the three Princesses, but the seiyuu of supporting characters, such as Hoshi Souichirou, Kamiya Hiroshi, Toriumi Kousuke, Nojima Kenji and Takeuchi Junko, are also top-notch!.

6. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi Movie: Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai (The World’s Best First Love: The Case of Yokozawa Takafumi)

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi Movie Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai

You can’t talk about similar anime to Junjou Romantica without mentioning another series by Nakamura Shungiku. Are you aware that the Sekaiichi Hatsukoi television series has been adapted into a film? As a novel illustrated by Nakamura Shungiku, the original version of Yokozawa Takfumi no Baa is about the romantic relationship between Yokozawa Takafumi and single father Kirishima Zen, who is very fond of his daughter Hiyori, who is infatuated with Takfumi. Following on from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi’s Junjou Romantica, this film features a newfound family of three: Yokozawa, Kirishima, and Hiyori. They are an adorable bunch.

There hasn’t been an English translation of the light novel, so this movie is extremely helpful for those of us who are fans of Nakamura Shungiku but aren’t fluent in Japanese. Rewatching the film brings back memories, not only because we get to see characters from the manga created by Keiji Inafune, but because Kirishima Zen himself previously appeared in the film Junjou Romantica.

I was reminded of Junjou Romantica because the movie has a good mix of romance and humor, as well as character internal conflicts and relationship insecurities. In this case, Studio Deen provided the movie for us, and the series’ production team did not spare any expense in reuniting the cast of Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, which includes Konishi Katsuyuki and Maeno Tomoaki, as well as returning actors like Okamoto Nobuhiko and Konishi Katsuyuki and newcomers like Midorikawa Hikaru and Kondou Takashi.

Conclusion

a vintage love story with a comedy plot It’s always a pleasure to watch BL series, and if you like Junjou Romantica, there are plenty more out there. In the meantime, fans of Nakamura Shungiku can keep an eye out for the ongoing Sekaiichi Hatsukoi series. Who knows, perhaps Nakamura-sensei will return to Junjou Romantica in the new series!