This trope-breaking shonen romance Romantic Killer is the perfect blend of hilarity and expressive moments, all while giving fans a unique perspective on the romance genre. It’s a series that caters to every type of anime fan, regardless of their preconceived notions.

There are plenty of incredible shows with similar premises, humor, and characters for fans of the series to watch next.

10. The Wallflower

After being cruelly rejected and made fun of her looks by the boy she liked, Sunako began distancing herself from the world and gained an interest in the occult. Sadly, her plans of living a lonely life get thrown out the window when she is sent to live with her aunt and the four young men who live with her.

The older woman promised the four men that they would be given free rent if they helped turn her loner of a niece into a classy lady. As the five of them get to know each other, Sunako realizes that maybe she is not as much of a loner as she first thought.

9. Maid Sama!

After decades of men being the ones to hold the position, Misaki becomes the first Student Council President in her high school. While she is kind and helpful to women, men fear her for how strict and ruthless she can be with them. One day, as she walks around the school looking for troublemakers, she finds a girl crying after being rejected by Usui, the most popular boy in school.

Misaki tries to scold the boy for being so cruel, but she is ignored by Usui. Later, Misaki is working at a maid café when Usui enters the establishment, recognizing his classmate. She begs Usui to keep her secret, to which the boy surprisingly agrees. From that moment on, Usui begins visiting the café almost daily, anime Misaki begins to question his true intentions.

8. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Without warning, the noble young woman Catarina Claes begins remembering her past life. This would have been an amazing occurrence, if not for the fact that she was reincarnated into the body of the villainess of her favorite game, Fortune Lover. In all the routes of the game, Catarina meets with a terrible fate.

Determined not to die in such a manner, the young woman begins using her knowledge about the world she now lives in to change history. Nonetheless, this mission will not be as easy as she expected, as death could be lurking around any corner.

7. Recovery of An MMO Junkie

For 11 years, Moriko worked herself to the bone at the same company. Now that she has quit her job, she can relax and immerse herself in an MMORPG. Assuming the identity of the handsome warrior Hiyashi, Moriko spends most of her days playing the world-famous game Fruits de Mer.

Accompanied by her close online friend, the beautiful healer Lily, Moriko begins spending more and more time playing, neglecting every other need in her life. The only times that she steps out of her apartment are when she needs to go to the store. During one of these trips, she encounters Yuuta, a shy worker that could change her life completely.

6. Kiss Him, Not Me

Unknown to most of her classmates, the caring and friendly Kae is a massive fan of Boy Love stories. She spends most of her time at school imagining her male classmates falling in love with each other. One day, as she is watching one of her favorite shows, her favorite character is killed, severely depressing the young woman.

Unable to do anything due to the sadness, Kae begins to lose weight and misses school for a week. When she comes back, her classmates are shocked, as she now looks like a completely different person. Her new beauty attracts the attention of most male students, who wish to date her. Still, Kae is more interested in seeing the boys fall in love with each other, creating a hilarious and complicated situation.

5. God Troubles Me

The Gods and Demons of Earth are in trouble, as the world they once controlled is rapidly plunging into chaos. Desperate to find a solution, the Gods team up with various monsters to find something or someone that can help them. As this is happening, a young woman named Su is being kicked out of her parent’s house for her bad attitude.

While roaming the streets, Su encounters Tianjin, a charismatic and attractive God who asks the young woman to help him search for an answer to the problems of the world. With them is an enigmatic demon cat, who will also aid in their mission. Can this unlikely trio find a way to prevent utter chaos from taking over the planet?

4. The World Only God Knows

Best known for his title of God of Conquests, Keima is a young student who became famous for being able to complete any dating sims that he plays. The boy is a firm believer that video game girls are superior to their real-world counterparts, as they are not as unpredictable as the girls he knows. Woefully, his worst fears come to life when a demon named Elsie asks for his help.

The female demon informs him that she needs to capture runaway souls that have been hidden inside the hearts of human girls. The only way for them to drive them out is by filling the heart of their host with love. Without any choice, Keima will have to use everything that he learned while playing dating sims to conquer the hearts of various girls.

3. Horimiya

Against all odds, the loveable and charismatic Hori and the meek Miyamura became friends. Most of their classmates could not believe it, as they had always been complete opposites. Their peers do not know that there is much more to the duo than what they let everyone else see. Hori is not popular outside of school, as she is often too busy helping at home.

On the other hand, Miyamura is not as timid as everyone else thinks, as his school uniform hides his various tattoos and piercings. Aware of the other’s secret, Hori and Miyamura begin hanging out after school, a decision that will forever change their lives.

2. Tomo-chan Is a Girl

Since childhood, Tomo and Junichirou have been best friends. They were inseparable, doing everything together from playing to sleeping. As they grew up, Tomo began developing feelings for her best friend, all while Junichirou remained oblivious to her affection. When the duo began their first year of high school Tomo decided to confess her feelings for Junichirou.

Lamentably, due to her tomboyish attitude and looks, her friend rejects Tomo’s confession, telling her that he sees her more like another male friend. Dejected, Tomo begins a journey to become a woman that Junichirou will want to date. Can she enchant her best friend without changing who she is at heart?

1. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun

When Sakura confessed to her crush Nozaki, she never expected him to give her an autograph. As it turns out, the young man is a notorious shojo mangaka, publishing his work under the pseudonym of Sakiko Yumeno. Nozaki confused Sakura’s love confession with an adoring fan praising his work.

To make matters worse for Sakura, she ended up becoming Nozaki’s assistant, working with him to make sure that his manga gets published in time. As Nozaki’s assistant, Sakura meets many attractive and unique young men, who begin showing an interest in the young woman. Can Sakura use her new position as Nozaki’s assistant to make the mangaka aware of her true feelings?

Romantic Killer is a subversive romantic comedy series, originating from a 2019 manga, and recently adapted as an anime on Netflix. It follows protagonist Anzu Hoshino, an endearing teenage girl who loves three things: video games, chocolate, and her cat. However, when she discovers a game she is playing was swapped out for a romance game, a tiny wizard named Riri appears to her and turns her life upside down.

She is promised a paradise of male suitors but has her favorite things taken away until she chooses a boyfriend. The story is hilarious, heartwarming, and self-aware, so readers/viewers might wonder, who does Anzu end up with in Romantic Killer?

Does Anzu End Up With Tsukasa in Romantic Killer?

Anzu x Tsukasa

Tsukasa Kazuki is the first love interest introduced in episode 1 of the anime, but the pair are not end game. Anzu and Tsukasa encounter each other in numerous instances that seem to parody the meet-cute trope, where future couples meet under seemingly random and often humorous circumstances.

Tsukasa’s good looks and initial cold demeanor belie his kindness, with him becoming a wonderful friend to Anzu. While he finds himself falling for her, Anzu does not feel pressured to reciprocate his feelings.

Anzu x Junta

Junta Hayami is propped up by Riri as the encapsulating the childhood friend archetype, even referring to him as ‘easy mode’ in the context of otome games, but these two just weren’t meant to be. He idealized Anzu since elementary school when he was teased for being overweight and called Tonta by their classmates, becoming a baseball prodigy when he learned that Anzu liked athletic guys. While seemingly cowardly and resentful of Tsukasa, Junta is steadfast and loyal to his friends.

Anzu x Ryuya

Ryuya seems like the closest romantic fit for Anzu, but does not end up with her in Romantic Killer. Their mutual appreciation for video games is a strong indicator that they could have chemistry, but this alone doesn’t seem to be enough to bring the pair together. However, Ryuya joins other characters in protecting Anzu from some rather scary circumstances by the end of the series, and remains her friend.

Anzu x Koganei?

Hijiri Koganei is the rich, handsome suitor sent after Anzu by Riri, but they do not end up together in Romantic Killer. Their personalities clash, with Anzu going as far as to taunt him for his attitude, referring to him as a tsundere. Despite his arrogant demeanor, Anzu still regards him as a friend, playing into his confidence and showing him affection as she does for her other friends.

Anzu x Riri

One of the more complicated and admittedly odd pairings in the anime – these two do not end up together, but when Riri wishes to stay in her life, Anzu shrewdly uses the technicality that there’s a fraction of a percent chance they could end up together romantically. This forces Kate, a later wizard assigned to her case, to allow Riri to stay in the human world.

Will There Ever Be an “Endgame” Pairing For Anzu?

For those who have caught on at this point, the story isn’t meant for Anzu to end up with anybody, at least, not definitively. The series does a wonderful job showcasing the importance of platonic love, which is often devalued in romance stories as only another avenue for people to end up together. Anzu eventually is given access to her possessions, while keeping her invaluable friends, and keeps the autonomy to not have to date any of them or respond to their advances.

However, the anime ends on a cheeky ‘to be continued…?’ note while setting her up with a new quest given by Kate, to find a boyfriend before graduating. We’ll see if there’s ever a continuation, but for now, the anime and manga end on the same note, with Anzu ending up with her favorite things: video games, chocolate, her cat Momohiki, and her friends. The ending of the manga is equally open-ended, however, there are some hints that she and Tsukasa could eventually develop something, since the final chapters give him the spotlight.

Romantic Killer was released on Netflix on October 27, 2022, and is based on the manga originally released on July 30, 2019. You can read Romantic Killer on Shonen Jump.