Romance anime often follow specific plot patterns. If you're bored of this, here are some of the best romance anime with a plot twist!
Spoiler Warning: Since this is an article about plot twists, there will be some spoilers below!
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Fruits Basket
Initially, viewers who dislike love triangles might dismiss Fruits Basket as one of those romances.
Thankfully, the heroine's decision is pretty clear from early on, so we're spared a lot of angst, and frankly, romance isn't even the most interesting part of the shojo anime.
In the end, it becomes clear that the "secondary love interest" was never really romantically involved, as his feelings were purely platonic.
This causes you to re-evaluate several early scenes.
Violet Evergarden
Much of Violet Evergarden isn't a romance at all. It's about the main character understanding and eventually moving on from her feelings for someone who is gone.
While the viewers hope that she might get her reunion, the anime series confirms his death. But then we get another twist.
The Violet Evergarden movie shows that the person Violet still cares about is not dead at all, making for an unexpected conclusion to her tale.
Your Name
Your Name is a twist in itself, as a boy and a girl who have not met each other find themselves in swapped bodies.
What came as a bigger shock was that the two were not living in the same timeline at all.
The realization paves the way for another, much darker twist toward the end of the film.
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Clannad
For a slice-of-life anime, Clannad features twist upon twist. This becomes possible due to the existence of an Illusionary World.
This begins as a legend, but by the end of Season 2, you can't help hoping that it's real.
Clannad is wholesome, but it features much more unexpected loss and painful coming of age than your typical romance anime.
White Album 2
As an anime based on a visual novel, White Album 2 could have ended in more than one way.
For the anime adaptation, one ending had to be chosen over other possible ones.
It turns out that not everyone ends up with whom you would expect them to, so if you want something a bit unconventional, do check this series out.
Your Lie in April
Your Lie In April is one of those heartbreaking anime whose twist is legendary, so if you haven't heard of it, we won't spoil it here.
The show's restrained and cheerful tone keeps the ending from being utterly miserable, but some of the show's themes are hard to swallow, so bring tissues.
READ MORE: The Ending of Your Lie in April Explained
Vampire Knight
For the most part, Vampire Knight is a clichéd but inoffensive supernatural romance anime that could only have existed in the 2000s.
The final episodes, however, make a shocking revelation about one of the two love interests; he and the main characters are siblings.
Worse still, this does not end the romance right then and there, as incest is customary within their vampire clan.
Full Moon o Sagashite
Once again, it's hard to talk about the plot twist of Full Moon o Sagashite without completely spoiling it.
It suffices to say that, for quite some time, the series persuades you that a character who is important to the protagonist is alive and that they will meet again, having accomplished all that they wanted.
What's even more shocking is that the heroine has known the truth for a while, but her demeanor does not show this.
Golden Time
Golden Time is an anime with a notoriously complicated ending that makes you wonder how the relationship between the two main characters actually played out.
The protagonist is a boy who has lost his memories in an accident. Will he manage to live a fulfilling and unforgettable life in the here and now, or will regaining his memories be more important?
The anime will keep you guessing, and the ending will surprise you.
School Days
Calling School Days the "best" of anything is a stretch, as a big portion of the anime community hates it with a passion.
Like other titles on this list, it's based on a visual novel with multiple endings — and School Days is notorious for its bad ones.
If you care about the "twist" part more than you do about the "romance" part, School Days might still be fun, but watch at your own risk as the characters aren't particularly likable.
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