An old romance anime that needs a makeover

Key things

• Anime romance often follows a predictable formula with interesting twists and turns, leaving fans wanting more.
• Some iconic romance anime can benefit from remakes to update the animation or modernize the storylines.
• Rebooting a classic romance anime with twists like age changes or shared universes can bring in new and old fans.

Stop me if you've heard it before – the two main characters meet cutely and fall in love somewhat unexpectedly. Their relationship hits a few rough spots now and then, but they get through it all and end up together in the end. This is how romantic stories tend to appear in almost every medium in which they are told. The anime seems to understand this formula, uses it while also having interesting wrinkles that often leave viewers wanting more.

However, the older an anime is, the more likely it is to have one, two, or more things that could benefit from a remake. It could be something as simple as fixing its animation, but it could also be a problem at the core of the show's premise that if turned into a remake could make the show perfect for modern-day audiences.

1 His and her circumstances

It has a slightly outdated art style

His and her circumstances is a wonderfully fresh take on the class rep trope common in anime. However, this time both sides are in the position, the show focuses on the one sided rivalry between them as well as the philosophical nature of what Tsundere is denying their love.

This anime was directed by Hideaki Anno, of Neon Genesis Evangelion glory. Aside from things like the interesting depictions of MC Yukino's perceived grandeur, there are many wonderful opening shots throughout the show. Something that would benefit from the type of facelift that rebuilds Eva not so long ago

2 My wife is a high school student

It involves a troubled marriage

It would be a tricky remake because the premise is problematic, not only with the age gap to deal with, but also with the strange power dynamic between the teacher and his student. At the core of the series is what fans of romance anime could get behind, as it's a love that endures against all odds.

If it were to be remade, the sentiment of this anime could still be intact while moving the ages of the main characters forward a bit. Instead of a teacher and his student, it could perhaps be a man and a woman with diametrically different professions. Fans, new and old, certainly wouldn't mind a little progress with their romance.

3 Chobits

It would benefit today's popularization of shared universes

Romantic entanglements between humans and AI are nothing new, but since then Chobitsthere was a large number of nuances of ideas, as in the acclaimed American film, Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix. Obviously new Chobits anime would benefit from years of further sci-fi advancement.

Series written by the CLAMP writing collective have been known to have a lot of fun and sometimes quite small transitions between their series. While Chobits I didn't get as much as the series xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles yes, its remake, like the entire CLAMP series, would benefit from looking back at shared universes like the MCU.

4 School rumble

It would be ideal for short content

Shows with short episodes that all focus on different themes or gags have to strike a tricky balance between the genres they're trying to portray. School rumble it does exactly that, making audiences laugh with its often absurd humor while offering plenty of surprises in its romantic drama elements.

in the core School rumble is a sketch show, something that would fit in very well with today's love of short content. Splitting new episodes into short YouTube videos or even TikTok clips would help the show bring in heaps of new fans.

5 Ai Yori Aoshi

Character designs need fixing

Protagonist Kaoru has escaped the machinations of his traditional Japanese family, but fate seems to have other plans for him. This leads him to become involved in a harem led by Aoi, a girl who has loved him since childhood.

The anime itself really doesn't have anything special in terms of animation or style. Honestly, it looks a lot like a lot of other shows from the era, with its lackluster character design being its biggest fault. But that's something that could be fixed relatively easily in a remake to accompany its truly odd story.

6 Tatchi

He could use an upgrade in his animation

IN Tatchiin English known as Touch, love blooms on a pitcher's mound. The show focuses on the love triangle between the twins Tatsuya and Kaguya Uesugi, as well as Minami Asakura as they enter the tribulations of high school and intramural baseball.

Fortunately, with Mitsuru Adachi's iconic artwork, there's not much to worry about. In fact, this instantly recognizable 80s style would certainly make a remake of this story stand out from the countless rom-coms that dominate every season these days. Just a thorough brushing up of the animation itself would be enough to make it a home run game.

7 House of Ikkoku

The number of episodes could be reduced

Originally a manga created by one of the masters of romantic comedy, Rumiko Takahashi, House of Ikkoku tells the complicated love story of Yusaku Godai and his property manager Kyoko Otonashi. It's a gripping story, even if many of the most important story beats predictably start misunderstandings.

The show has seen a number of remasters, re-releases and even movies in its time. What it could undoubtedly benefit from, however, is a concerted effort to trim the fat from the original 90+ episode run. That being said, this is an otherwise timeless classic that, frankly, doesn't need much else.

8 Peach Girl

An example of a 2000s anime lacking in animation quality

Momo Adachi appears to be Gyaru, although that is not her intention. Of course, it comes with the many ups and downs of this life, which inevitably includes being involved in a classic love triangle with a few hot guys. Unfortunately, this leads to a bit of jealousy in Momo's “friend” Sae, which further complicates the series.

Even though it wasn't very old, a lot of anime from the early to mid 2000s were often released looking stiff and a bit ordinary as a result. That said, seeing the show's animation with a modern feel would be a welcome fix. There is also a manga sequel, Peach Girl Nextwhich hasn't been animated yet and could be incorporated into this new show, making a remake of the original anime a breeze.

9 Gravitation

The audience would perceive this kind of show better

This classic yaoi focuses on the love story between famous author Yuki and budding musician Shuichi. Throughout the series, Shuichi tries to break down Yuki's emotional walls while shooting for his own goal of making it big in the music scene.

It's relatively short, but it's the kind of “boy's love” story that American publisher Tokyo POP played a big role in popularizing in the West, meaning that an anime remake these days would do even better. It would also give the creators the opportunity to actually animate the entire story of Gravity, since the original show only covered the first half of the manga.

10 Maria is watching over us

There are plenty of other light novels to adapt

While a bit dense in its French naming conventions, the core Maria is watching over us is rooted in the relationships that form between the show's characters, who all attend a Catholic school. These relationships range from official to romantic and everything in between without becoming taboo despite the setting of the story.

A reboot of this anime would just make sense. The series started as a light novel that continued until 2012, meaning there is a large amount of content that has never been touched by the manga or anime. Additionally, a retelling could give the creators a chance to give the show a bit more direction, since the original was more character-centric than anything else.