Kara Dennison
December 29, 2021 
There are lots of sweet anime couples out there to warm every size heart. But only a few are super-sweet, super-loving, and supernatural.
… okay, that’s a lie, schoolkids are dating aliens left and right. But that just makes it all the more special when one of those couples really speaks to us. When it’s one of those anime romances for the ages — the kind they’ll be making commemorative acrylic standees about in 40 years. The kind where you finish the series and go, “Oh gosh, actually that’s really sweet.” Possibly even more so because the romance bridges that fantastical gap.
Here are just a few of those. Who are some of your favorites?
Ataru Moroboshi and Lum, Urusei Yatsura
Rumiko Takahashi has a tendency to write out-of-this-world anime couples. Inuyasha and Kagome. Rinne and Sakura. Heck, we count Ranma and Akane; he may be human, but he’s still beholden to supernatural nonsense. But the ones that started it all are Lum and Ataru: an electrifying alien and her misfortune-riddled darling.
As goofy as Urusei Yatsura is to start — Ataru accidentally proposes after taking Lum’s top off in a game of tag — this relationship grows into something truly compelling. Lum’s feelings are pretty much on main from the beginning; but Ataru will do anything to avoid admitting how he feels. Even if it’s pretty obvious by the end.
Kraft Lawrence and Holo, Spice and Wolf
The anime couples that learn about the economy together, stay together. Isuna Hasekura has a magical ability to both create endearing characters while teaching us about economics and the stock market. That’s not something just anyone can do (and at least one other person has tried). Best known in his CV is Spice and Wolf, about a nature spirit and a merchant who become a business power couple.
Initially, Holo and Kraft trade information as he escorts her to her home in the north. He teaches her about economics, and she tells him about her life as. You know. A wolf goddess. But over time, we see them grow to care about each other — getting married, settling down, and starting a business. It’s kind of beautiful.
*Waves Generally at Fullmetal Alchemist*
Anime couples to die for left, right, and center. You never know from one minute to the next who’s human, who’s a Homunculus, and who’s evil incarnate. Especially if you dive into Brotherhood, you get more than one example of otherworldly love. Some are heartwarming, some are heartbreaking, some are just downright confusing.
Whichever of the two adaptations you pick, you’ll find a massive cast of characters for whom love, power, and honesty are constantly at odds. It’s also (for at least one character) a rough look into that supernatural identity: not just what immortality means, but how it feels to love someone without your special brand of paranormal problems.
There are dozens more — which ones resonate for you?
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