8 Best Romance Anime Set In Workplaces

Romance is such a beautiful feeling to experience and to watch. Love can find an individual in the most unexpected places, like a professional workplace or setting. Most individuals spend a huge chunk of their time at their place of work; some may have significant others to get back to, while others do not. Those who do not tend to be more open to the idea of a workplace romance.

In the anime industry, there is not much buzz around workplace romance anime because high school romance seems to be stealing the spotlight. However, there are some workplace romance anime that deserve recognition.

Updated on September 7th, 2024, by Oluwatokiloba Folami: It is a known fact not to mix business with pleasure, but sometimes it has to be done because the heart wants what it wants, and one can only ignore the feeling of love and mutual attraction for so long. In anime set in workplaces, viewers often see how romance is mixed with the professional lives of the characters. This mix offers viewers a blend of emotional and career-driven narratives. These romance series explore the relationships formed between colleagues and also go deep into personal growth, career challenges, and the often blurred lines between personal and professional lives. They particularly capture the heartwarming moments that make everyday life a bit more extraordinary.

11 Skip Beat!

Kyouko Mogami And Ren Tsuruga

Mogami is a good and selfless friend, but Shou, her childhood friend, took her for granted. As Shou was trying to make a break and become successful in the showbiz industry, Mogami slaved away to make money to support him. Mogami had no issue doing this because she was in love with Shou, but her heart was shattered when she overheard him refer to her as a mere maid.

Heartbroken by his statement and by what he thinks of her, Mogami diverts all her efforts to herself as she vows to be more successful than Shou and even bigger than him in the showbiz industry. In this industry, Mogami meets Tsuruga, and although her walls are up so high because of Shou, she finds herself warming up to Tsuruga, and romance starts brewing between them in their workplace.

10 Hataraki Man

Hiroko Matsuraka And Shinji Yamashiro

There is time for everything, and one thing that Hiroko does not joke about is her time for work. A magazine company can be a fast-paced environment, meaning that there is always work to do and pressure to meet deadlines. When it is time to work on a story, Hiroko switches to what is known as the “Hataraki Man Mode”, where she basically moves at three times her usual speed and has no care for anything other than her work.

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However, when Hiroko is out of this mode, she tends to focus on other things, like her love life. Whenever she has a date with her equally busy boyfriend, Yamashiro, she is always early so that she can spend as much time as she possibly can before he is whisked away by work.

9 Cherry Magic! Thirty Years Of Virginity Can Make You A Wizard?!

Kiyoshi Adachi And Yuichi Kurosawa

Reading minds is an ability that most people often dream of, but for Adachi, it became a reality after he turned 30. Apparently, being a virgin for so long had some perks, and Adachi just unlocked one. Adachi has no interest in his powers until he comes into contact with Kurosawa and can hear his thoughts. He realizes that Kurosawa has feelings for him, and he is unsure of what to do with the information.

As they work together in the same company, Adachi tries to ignore Kurosawa’s feelings but cannot, since Kurosawa acts kindly and affectionately towards him. He soon finds himself warming up to Kurosawa, and before long, a romantic relationship starts brewing.

8 Ojisan And Marshmallow

Habahiro And Lori

Habahiro is obsessed with marshmallows, particularly Tabekko marshmallows. Almost everyone at his office knows about his obsession, but Lori, a younger colleague of Habahiro, goes out of her way to frustrate him by making sure he has none while she has some. This act frustrates Habahiro a lot, but Iori is just trying to get his attention and maybe a bit of his heart.

Fans may have some fun watching this anime because it is lighthearted and quite short, with three minutes per episode, making it super easy to binge-watch.

7 My Tiny Senpai

Shiori And Takuma

Shiori is the boss of Takuma, regardless of her small stature. As the boss, she always tries to look out for Takuma and ensure all is going well with him. Takuma, on the other hand, begins to develop feelings for his boss, as he wants to believe that there is more to Shiori looking out for him.

It is quite easy to misinterpret someone’s friendly actions as flirting, and frankly, there is a thin line between being overly friendly and flirtatious. Shiori crosses this line countless times with Takuma by giving him neck massages and random treats. These gestures make Takuma catch feelings for Shiori, and he hopes she feels the same regardless of their position at work.

6 Rec

Fumihiko And Aka

Fumihiko and Aka hit it off from the moment they met at the movies, after his date stood him up. After having quite a time at the movies, these two set out to return to their apartments, which, surprisingly, are close to each other. Later that night, an unfortunate fire incident happens, and Aka finds herself living with Fumihiko.

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Now living together and having had sexual relations, these two find out they will be working together as Fumihiko’s marketing company hires Aka as a voiceover artist for their latest project. Aka wants to keep their relationship secret in order to avoid rumors flying around.

5 The Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague

Fuyutsuki And Himuro

The littlest things do matter, and The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague tells how Fuyutsuki steals the heart of Himuro without even knowing it. This fantasy anime takes place in another version of Japan, where humans and people who come from spirits live together. As someone who comes from a spirit, particularly the snow woman, Himuro has the ability to freeze anything, including himself, intentionally or unintentionally.

These two have cute and thoughtful encounters that make them yearn for each other’s presence, and they are extremely glad that they work together. They spend time together during work trips, ensuring they both have fun. They also help each other scale through challenges they encounter at the office.

4 After The Rain

Akira And Masami

There is quite an age gap between the two main protagonists, and the ‘romance’ between them cannot go unnoticed. Akira is a 17-year-old high school student who works part-time at a restaurant, where she meets and falls for Masami, the 45-year-old manager. Akira is going through a rough patch as she is unable to do what she loves the most, track racing, because of a foot injury she sustained, and working at the Garden Cafe helps take her mind off her current predicament.

Akira’s feelings for Masami are due to his unwavering concern and kindness towards her. After the Rain shows the undiluted nature of what it is like to fall in love with someone older and how such love might be impossible to explore.

3 Servant X Service

Lucy And Hasebe

Lucy hates public service, yet she still applies for work as a public servant and gets the job. Her hatred for public service comes from birth because a public servant approved her long name without giving her parents hassle. Lucy soon realizes that being a public servant is not easy, as thousands of angry citizens make their job extremely stressful.

Lucy has three new co-workers: Hasebe, Yamagami, and Miyoshi. Working with these three has been a hassle, but she begins to develop romantic feelings for Hasebe, even though he has been quite mean to her. Servant x Sevice does not have a strong plot, but its light-hearted romance coupled with the daily hassle of being a government worker makes this anime a relaxing watch for some fans.

2 Working!!

Souta And Popura

This workplace romance anime takes place in Wagnaria, a family restaurant. Souta is a high school boy who works at Wagnaria and loves petite girls. Popura is the small girl who recruits Souta to work at the restaurant. Because of his love for small girls, Souta is unable to reject Popura’s offer, and this introduces him to the world of Wagnaria.

Wagnaria has other employees who keep Souta on his toes because they intimidate him. However, he does not let this bother him, as he still does his work effectively because he has a family, his sisters, to feed. Souta falls for Popura and slowly tries to build a romance with her.

1 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku

Hiotaka And Noafumi & Koyanagi And Kabakura

According to Narumi Momose, nerds are not popular, and she has suffered quite intensively for being a nerd and lover of games. Her last boyfriend broke up with her because of it, and she ended up having to quit her job to avoid seeing him every day at work. In a new place of work, Narumi is hell-bent on keeping her identity as a nerd a secret until she comes across Hirotaka, a fellow nerd, at her new office.

Narumi does not plan to disclose her nerd status to her next boyfriend, and any relationship built on lies will likely crumble faster. Hirotaka advised Narumi to date someone who would accept her for the nerd she is. Soon enough, Hirotaka and Narumi start dating, igniting an office romance and a love experience between two nerds.