Studio Ghibli anime movies are some of the best of all time for a reason. Even the romances portrayed in them are very well executed.
Much of these films focus on romances or have given characters lingering love interests throughout the narrative. These relationships are incredibly well written and considered very endearing to the hearts of many who have seen these movies.
This list in La Verdad Noricias serves as a ranking of some of the most famous Ghibli romances that made viewers around the world believe in true love. Director Hayao Miyazaki created some of these anime movies.
Best Studio Ghibli Couples
8. Arrietty and Shawn represent an unlikely couple The Secret World of Arrietty
In The Secret World of Arrietty, Shawn, a young teenager with heart disease, moves in with his great-aunt. There, he meets Arrietty, a “borrower” his age who is about four inches tall.
Throughout the film, the two develop a deep emotional connection, a bond that seems very close to romance. However, the two are from completely different worlds, and in the end, Arrietty must leave with her family to find a new home.
7. Osono and Fukuo are the perfect married couple Kiki: home delivery
In Kiki’s Delivery Service, the titular Kiki is a young teenage witch who leaves home to work in a bakery in town. The bakery owner, Osono, and her husband, Fukuo, really only rank lower in this ranking because the plot of the story doesn’t focus on these two characters, giving them little screen time.
However, their relationship as a contented married couple is something to flatter. Seeing Fukuo worship Osono during her pregnancy culminates in an incredibly moving moment for the audience.
6. Ponyo and Sosuke show young love Ponyo
Ponyo, Ponyo’s main character, is a fish girl who wishes to become a human. The film follows his adventures in and out of the ocean and revolves around the sweet and innocent relationship he forms with a human boy who lives on the seashore, Sosuke.
The romance between the two children is incredibly simple, pure, and could probably be seen as a more platonic one, like many other Studio Ghibli relationships. Still, the connection between Ponyo and Sosuke is absolutely undeniable and grows even stronger when she is allowed to remain as a human on earth in order to stay with him.
5. Taeko and Toshio are proof that love can find you anywhere Memories of yesterday
Taeko is a 27-year-old single woman who visits her family in the country in Memories of Yesterday. While traveling there and working on the safflower harvest, Taeko has numerous memories of his childhood and reflects on the person he has grown up into.
Despite everything, there is Toshio, a relative of his brother-in-law, an almost stranger to Taeko. Toshio helps Taeko get over difficult memories, and then just as he’s about to head back to Tokyo, Taeko realizes that he was really happy on the farm with Toshio. The relationship between them that love can always come to you, even when you don’t expect it.
4. Jiro and Naoko break our hearts The wind rises
The Wind Rises is a Hayao Miyazaki film that serves as a fictional biography based on the life of Jiro Horikoshi. Horikoshi designed Japanese fighter jets in World War II, and the film describes his journey through life, as well as the relationship that develops between him and a girl named Naoko.
The two fall in love and marry, despite the fact that Naoko is revealed to have tuberculosis, a sure sign of a sad future for the lovers. Regardless, Naoko and Jiro stick together as long as they can, resulting in a beautiful and emotional narrative.
3. Jiro and Naoko break our hearts The wind rises
The Wind Rises is a Hayao Miyazaki film that serves as a fictional biography based on the life of Jiro Horikoshi. Horikoshi designed Japanese fighter jets in World War II, and the film describes his journey through life, as well as the relationship that develops between him and a girl named Naoko.
The two fall in love and marry, despite the fact that Naoko is revealed to have tuberculosis, a sure sign of a sad future for the lovers. Regardless, Naoko and Jiro stick together as long as they can, resulting in a beautiful and emotional narrative.
2. Shizuku and Seiji defy first impressions Whispers of the Heart
In Whispers of the Heart, Shizuku is upset and annoyed by a random boy, Seiji, who has been going through all the books in her library before she can. Seiji teases her relentlessly, but over time, they learn to respect each other a lot, and eventually, Shizuku even takes inspiration from Seiji.
When he goes to Italy to practice violin making, she fully indulges in her love of writing and creates a book. Their relationship begins with funny jokes and eventually leads to something else. The most important thing about Shizuku and Seiji is their growth since their first meeting and the fact that they serve as each other’s inspiring force.
1. Kiki and Tombo represent a realistic first crush Kiki: home deliveries
A couple more underrated in the world of Studio Ghibli, the ratio of Kiki and Tombo in Kiki deliveries is full of realistic behavior in terms of their young and budding romance.
When Kiki first comes to town to work at the bakery, she runs into Tombo while he is with a group of friends. For a time, act aloof, as many young girls would.
Tombo, on the other hand, teases her, kindly but constantly. The two become unconsciously nervous with each other, but eventually, they work their way up to become close friends, even on an unofficial date.
