Television series

Lovely★Complex

Name: Lovely★Complex
Genre: Comedy, Anime, Romance
Released: 2007
Cast: Akemi Okamura, Akira Nagata, Saori Higashi, Kazuko Kojima, Yasuhiko Tokuyama

Romantic comedy
Light-hearted

A romantic comedy anime about a tall girl and short boy whose friendship masks deeper feelings. Bursting with physical comedy, earnest emotion, and enough blushing to power a small nation, it's genuinely funny without ever being mean. Perfect if you love characters who make you root for them, and don't mind a little melodrama seasoning the laughs.

TVMaze rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy romantic comedy built on sharp, prickly banter between two people who already know each other's worst habits, and you don't mind a slow burn.

Skip it if you want a tight, fast-moving show, since this one takes its time and runs 24 episodes of gentle sitcom beats that can feel padded.

What it asks of you: Twenty-four episodes of roughly twenty-two minutes each make it a real commitment, but each one is light enough to watch at the end of a long day.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?2019

Two geniuses play psychological chess over their feelings, trading elaborate schemes for confession. Hilarious, clever, and grounded by real affection beneath the games—the same emotional core as Lovely Complex but with sharper wit.

But The meta-humour can feel performative, and if you prefer sincerity to constant irony, the tone might feel exhausting.

Ore Monogatari!!2015

Another anime about unlikely love between mismatched people, but gentler and more earnest. It nails that feeling of discovering someone is beautiful to you, even when society says otherwise—exactly what Lovely Complex does best.

But The sweetness is relentless. There's almost no edge, so if you want complexity or conflict, this might feel thin.

Ouran High School Host Club2006

Comedy-romance about outsiders crashing into privilege, packed with physical humour, rapid jokes, and a core relationship that deepens beautifully. Same energy: jokes landing constantly while real feeling builds underneath.

But The pacing can feel frantic, and some jokes don't land. It's occasionally trying too hard to be charming.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lovely★Complex

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Fleabag2016

Both use comedy as a shield for vulnerability. Both understand that you can be funny and hurt at the same time, and that sometimes the people who make us laugh are the ones who break us.

A woman talks to you while living her life. It's a comedy that breaks into real heartbreak, constantly making you laugh while something genuine aches underneath—the exact tonal alchemy of Lovely Complex, but translated into live-action chaos and British desperation.

But It's not anime, and the protagonist is deliberately unlikeable in ways that might make you uncomfortable. Not all laughs are warm.

Nana2006

Two girls named Nana become each other's centre of gravity. Darker than Lovely Complex, more serious about heartbreak and identity, but equally committed to the idea that some bonds are everything. Gorgeous to watch.

But Tonal whiplash between comedy and genuine trauma. It can feel like two different shows, and the unfinished source material means an incomplete ending.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card2018no page yet

The original series is magic-school fun; Clear Card grows up with the characters, letting romance unfold with the same warmth and humour. If you love Lovely Complex's sweetness, this is the same creator's version of earned love.

But It requires familiarity with the original to land emotionally. Starting here will feel like arriving mid-conversation.

Say "I Love You".2012

A socially invisible girl and a popular boy fall for each other, and the show actually cares about how they communicate. Slower than Lovely Complex but equally sincere about what love demands—vulnerability, trust, showing up.

But The pacing is glacial. A 24-minute episode sometimes advances the plot by seconds. Requires patience most viewers won't have.

Yona of the Dawn2014

A princess and her bodyguard navigate duty and devotion. More adventure than comedy, but shares Lovely Complex's faith in characters growing toward each other through genuine crisis, with plenty of moments where humour softens the weight.

But The romance is secondary to the fantasy plot. If that's what you came for, you'll spend half the runtime waiting for it to matter again.

Midnight Occult Civil Servants2019

Both believe that the people most opposite to you are the ones who complete you. The dynamic is identical; only the stakes are different.

A supernatural thriller anime that barely anyone watched. Two people with opposite natures must learn to work together in darkness. It's creepy and atmospheric where Lovely Complex is bright, but it has the same insistence that opposing people fit together perfectly—the difference is they're solving ghost crimes instead of crushes.

But It's genuinely unsettling in places. The tone is Gothic instead of warm, and it assumes you'll stay for mystery rather than romance. Expect low-key dread, not laughs.